


A Sirius Summer Outing

by Count24



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus Training, Bad Albus Dumbledore, Family, Gen, Healing, Muggle Thinking, fatherly Sirius Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 120,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22328920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Count24/pseuds/Count24
Summary: Harry runs away from the Dursleys earlier than in cannon, and meets a big black dog. He decides to keep his new friend, despite him needing a bath.
Relationships: None
Comments: 293
Kudos: 547





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, finally. I intended to begin posting this a bit sooner, but I got caught up in the actual writing. It's finished except for the final edits, which I will be doing as I post each chapter. It should all be up by the end of February if nothing goes wrong. Hope you all enjoy.

Platform nine and three quarters was crowded as usual when the Hogwarts expressed pulled in. Harry slowly climbed down from the train, carefully hauling his trunk behind him. Ahead was Ron, red hair whipping around as he searched the crowd for his parents.

For a fleeting moment Harry envied his best friend. Ron had everything Harry had ever wanted. Parents who loved him, fed him, thought of his well being and encouraged him to do well in school. Harry couldn’t understand why Ron chose to slack off so much, if he had parents who cared he would work thrice as hard as he did to make them happy. But then, he didn’t have parents, and maybe he would feel differently if he did. He didn’t know.

Behind him was his other best friend, Hermione. Like Ron’s parents she nagged the redhead to try harder. Unlike the older Weasley’s she had an annoying way of doing it. Harry thought it might be lack of practice, maybe she would get better at it when she was older. She also nagged Harry, but he didn’t mind. Whenever she reminded him to do his homework, it felt kind of like what he thought it might be like to have an older sibling. Which was nice.

Hermione didn’t look around for her parents, they were muggles, non magic folk, so they would be on the other side of the barrier, possibly waiting with the Dursleys, Harry’s aunt and uncle, with whom he lived over the summer. He didn’t really understand why he had to stay with them. He had asked more than once if someone else would be willing to take him in. He had explained that the Dursleys didn’t want him, but no one ever listened.

Ron found his parents, who were waiting near the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was looking rather stern. Harry thought it might be the memory of the car he and Ron had stolen at the beginning of the school year, and then flown to Hogwarts. Which had nearly cost Mr. Weasley his job, and had been a large humiliation for the Weasley family. He and Ron had almost been expelled over it, and he doubted that either of the Weasley adults were looking forward to seeing him. Most likely they were now beginning to see whatever it was that the Dursleys had seen years ago that made them hate Harry. 

In an effort to get by them as quickly as possible, Harry put his head down and pushed through the crowd towards the barrier that lead out to the muggle world.

Hermione followed along in his wake, and the two made it through the barrier without being stopped by anyone. On the other side Harry got out of the way and paused to locate his relatives. He would never call them family, he used to, but that was before he realised that they hated him, and would prefer he not be a part of their lives.

Hermione stopped beside him and craned her neck to see over the other milling people, which was more difficult than it sounds, as they were both rather short, being only twelve and thirteen. Eventually though she spotted her parents among the milling throng of people, and turned to say a quick goodbye before wheeling her cart over to them.

Harry eventually started moving towards the exit, thinking the Dursleys might have stopped just inside the station, but he didn’t see them until he was almost outside. Aunt Petunia was walking towards the station alone. This was unusual as she normally hated going anywhere without Vernon, her husband.

“There you are, come along then.” She said when she reached Harry. She turned and began walking briskly away. Harry trudged after her, it felt like running, and he was panting when he finally caught up to her at the car. Between the excitement of the last few days of term, and the injuries he had received from the basilisk he was not in top form. Not that aunt Petunia would care, even if she let him get an explanation out before she started calling him lazy for moving too slow.

She did at least help him to get his trunk and Hedwig's cage into the boot, Hedwig having been sent ahead on her own, before ushering him into the backseat of the car and driving away.

The trip back to Privet Drive was at least quiet. Aunt Petunia never spoke while driving, prefering to keep her attention on the road. And she wouldn’t speak to Harry as long as she could avoid it anyway.

The drive was long, but blissfully peaceful. Right up until they pulled into the driveway at #4.

“Get your things and get inside. I don’t want the neighbors to see you anymore than necessary. And you’ll be going directly to bed. We have an early start in the morning. Vernon is coming back with his sister and I expect you to have us a good breakfast ready when they get here.” Aunt Petunia spat at him as soon as the car was in park.

Vernon’s sister, that’s what aunt Petunia called her whenever Vernon wasn’t around. But Harry was required to call her aunt Marge, never mind that she was not actually his aunt. Aunt Marge lived out in the country and raised bulldogs. When she travelled, she always took her favorite, Ripper, with her wherever she went.

Harry hated aunt Marge, her favorite thing to do, as far as he could tell, was to explain, loudly, to anyone nearby, exactly what made Harry an unworthy person. Or possibly, it was sicking Ripper on him. He was never very sure which she enjoyed more. One time, at Dudley’s fifth birthday party she had allowed Ripper to chase Harry up a tree, and left him there until after dark.

Dudley, was Harry’s cousin. Vernon and Petunia’s son. He was a large beefy boy with several chins. Dudley attended Smeltings, a private school that Vernon had also gone to. The Dursleys were quite proud of their son, and happy to shower him with praise and gifts. Unlike Harry, who was thrown into a cupboard for three days without food the one time he brought home a report card that was better than Dudley’s.

Knowing better than to ask anything about Marge’s stay, or indeed to say anything at all, Harry gathered his trunk and Hedwig’s cage from the boot and drug them into the house. Where the trunk was promptly locked into his old bedroom, the cupboard under the stairs, and he was sent to his current room, which still sported multiple locks, without dinner.

Despite the long day, and how tired he was feeling from his injury, it took a long time for Harry to fall asleep, as he was dreading the morning. When Hedwig arrived, late that evening, he told her she should visit Ron, as it wouldn’t be safe for her here, not with Marge visiting. Watching her fly away again, he had to fight to hold in the tears that sought to escape his control.

Morning came though, as dreadful things are like to do. And before the sun was properly up, aunt Petunia was banging on his door. “Up boy, up. You have breakfast to make, and then I want you to weed the garden in the back. I want nothing for Vernon to complain about when he gets home.”

That was a pointless wish, Harry thought as he struggled out of bed and pulled on a pair of ratty old socks. Vernon would complain about Harry being there no matter what. But he said nothing, and trudged down the stairs to start cooking eggs and bacon, while making toast. With a little luck he would be able to sneak a little while he was cooking, as the Dursley’s especially Marge would surely refuse him the right to eat with them, as usual, and then he would be expected to begin work on other chores, and the next chance he would have to eat would be lunch.

He was in luck, Petunia was cleaning the sitting room in preparation for her husband's return. Which meant he had the kitchen to himself. As long as Dudley stayed asleep, which he would definitely do, at least until after 8, Harry would be able to sneak some bacon, and toast, and maybe even an egg or two.

Regrettably, good things always come to an end, and before he had gotten up the nerve to sneak an egg, aunt Petunia was bustling back into the kitchen and plating breakfast for four. When the last of the cooking was done she shooed Harry out the back door with a bucket and a pair of pruning shears. “Now don’t you even think about leaving that yard until every last weed is pulled, and the bushes are looking neat and tidy.” She pronounced just before slamming the door closed in his face.

On the bright side he considered as he squatted next to Petunia’s prized rose bushes. At least out here I don’t have to listen to her insufferable humming. Aunt Petunia had a habit of humming while she worked. This wouldn’t be a problem, except that aunt Petunia had no musical quality at all, and her humming, when she did so outside, regularly made the neighborhood dogs bark and growl at her it was so bad. Harry had once tried to hum as he worked, but was quickly silenced by his aunt. “Stop that noise.” She had said to him. “Beastly, unnatural sound.” She had called it, ranting for days until he vowed never to hum again.

But outside under the warming sunlight, pulling at the weeds, he couldn’t hear her, or her humming. And for a little while, he could pretend he was somewhere else. Like in the greenhouses at Hogwarts. The buzzing of insects slowly filled his ears, and he could almost imagine they were the faeries that hung around greenhouse two. If he squinted his eyes a little, the roses could almost be mistaken for one of the many magical plants that Professor Sprout cared for and taught the students about.

Herbology wasn’t Harry’s best subject, nor was it his favorite. But it was far better to imagine being in that class, than to actually be anywhere on Privet Drive, and worst of all, at number four. So while he could, he imagined that he was caring for biting tulips, and venomous tentacula, and even mandrakes. That would be funny he thought as he imagined planting the squirming, screaming plants in Petunia’s garden. Then she would eventually pull it far enough out that she would hear it scream. If she didn’t pass out from shock at hearing a plant scream, then the magic of the mandrake would do it. He remembered Neville Longbottom, falling over in their first class last year. He had not put his ear muffs on correctly, and the cry of the plant had gotten to him. He was fine of course, they only knocked you out for a few hours. Which is why it was funny.

This too, eventually came to an end. When Vernon and Marge appeared at the front door, Petunia ushered Harry back into the house and ordered him to wash up in the bathroom sink. Of course it was impossible to actually get clean that way, but that was the way the Dursley’s wanted him to be. Dirty and messy, so they could heap abuse on him and anyone who happened to be watching would have little room to argue. For Marge it was like Christmas had come early. She got to engage in her favorite pastime, and the things she said even appeared to be accurate.

On the third day of Marge’s stay, Harry was dusting the end tables in the sitting room, while the Dursleys, including Marge were watching some program on the tele. Harry had stopped paying attention to the tele years ago. He had been forbidden to sit on the furniture as far back as he could recall, and he had never been allowed to watch with the Dursleys. On the few occasions that he had been left alone and had taken the opportunity to watch a bit of tele, he had been unable to properly understand the few shows he had seen, and thus lost interest. He did still pay attention to the news when he happened to be nearby, but otherwise had given up on the television as a source of entertainment. 

As he was wiping the already clean tables however, the screen changed, and emitted a screeching sound. A moment later a man appeared on the screen and began speaking. “We interrupt this broadcast to bring you some breaking news. Late last night there was a prison break. Sirius Black, has vanished from the cell he has called home for twelve years.” A photo of a rather bedraggled, and slightly crazy looking man with long straggly black hair joined the man already on the screen. “Viewers are advised not to approach Black, as he is considered armed and extremely dangerous. If spotted, please call the number on your screen immediately. We now return you to your normally scheduled program.” The number continued to flash on the screen for several seconds as whatever the Dursleys had been watching returned.

Harry turned away, and continued the dusting. He had felt an odd jolt in his chest when he saw the picture of Black. He decided after a moment that it was envy. Not unlike the envy he felt about Ron and his parents. Black had been a prisoner, almost as long as Harry had been, but now he was free. Perhaps not as free as he would like, being on the run. But at least he didn’t have to stay behind bars, forced to endure whatever his jailers wanted. He could eat whenever and whatever he liked, so long as he could get it. Unlike Harry who was forced to try to sneak food whenever he was forced to cook for the Dursley’s and hardly ever ate otherwise. Black could even avoid chores if he wanted, that must be wonderful Harry thought.

For a moment he entertained the idea of running away himself. Maybe going to find Black and living on the run. They could be a team, maybe be like the vikings in his old history books. Sail up and down the shoreline robbing and pillaging, whatever that was. But then he brushed the thought aside. That was a silly idea. Even if he could do it, he would never be able to find Black, and Dumbledore would probably track him down in a day or two and force him to come back here. Maybe even with a few extra charms to make sure he stayed put.

Dumbledore had seemed to care when he met the man at the end of his first year. But then Harry had asked if there was anyone else who would take him besides the Dursleys, and Dumbledore had looked at him with disappointment in his eyes. It had been clear, even to him who had been forced to not look people in the eyes so often that he had trouble reading expressions, that Dumbledore thought he was a bad person for wanting to get away from his relatives. So he had dropped the subject and asked about other things instead.

Then last year Harry saw him again. But that was different. Harry had just arrived at Hogwarts in a stolen, flying car. Once again, Dumbledore had looked at him with disappointment. He had seen the man a few more times over the year, always after one of the attacks that Ginny Weasley had been forced to commit, and that Harry had been blamed for throughout the year. And every time, Dumbledore had that look of disappointment, like he was waiting for Harry to be better, and sad that Harry was just Harry.

Harry was sure at this point that Dumbledore either wanted Harry to be the heroic Boy-Who-Lived that the wizarding world was so worshipful of, or was angry that he didn’t have enough proof to claim that Harry was evil. He wasn’t sure which, but he was sure it was one of the two.

So, Harry didn’t think running away would help. Instead, he kept his head down, and did his chores, and waited for Marge to leave. All while counting down the days until September 1st, when he could go back to the only place he had ever felt welcomed.  
The last day of the week was the worst. Marge had decided that she wanted Harry always within line of sight, so that she could expound on what a horrid, lazy, waste he was, all day. At dinner he got the special treat of being allowed to eat with the family. This was not, as they would claim to anyone who asked, something they did for him, no this was because Marge had not yet had her fill of berating him.

“I do like a healthy sized boy Vernon. Dudders here will be a proper size man. Now this.” She pointed at Harry. “Mean, runty thing, underbred. You see it all the time with dogs. If there’s something wrong with the bitch, there’ll be something wrong with the pup. Now I’m saying nothing against your family Petunia dear.” She said in the tone that fairly screamed that she felt Petunia and her entire family were something disgusting she had wiped off her boot. “But your sister, was a bad egg. And ran off with a wastrel, and here’s the result right in front of us.” She paused to take a long pull from her glass of gin.

“I‘ll never understand why you kept him Vernon. If it had been my doorstep, it would have been straight to the orphanage and good riddance. You never told me what his father did?”

As the voices droned on about how horrible a waste Harry was, and how worthless his parents were, Harry ran deep into his own mind, looking for some means of escape. He tried counting, but that was no good, it failed completely to drown out the sound of their abuse. He tried thinking about flying, but that was worse, he kept picturing the bludger Dobby the house elf had sent after him. Then he thought about transfiguration class with Professor Mcgonagall, his head of house. He thought about the process of turning a match into a needle, and the voices seemed to move away, he thought about turning a hedgehog into a pincushion, and he could almost not hear them anymore. He thought about the first lesson, when Mcgonagall turned her desk into a pig, and back to a desk. That reminded him of the pig tail Hagrid had given Dudley, and he had to hold in a laugh. It wouldn’t do to forget where he was entirely and make the Dursley’s angry.

But then he felt something, he felt his magic flowing out of him. And suddenly the voices were replaced with screaming. He looked up and where Marge had been there was now an oversized pot belly pig, wearing Marge’s dress.

He couldn’t help it, he laughed, just a little, but Vernon heard.

A massive purple face exploded into view above him, and Vernon was screaming. “You put her right, boy. You put her right this instant.” He yelled, and Harry felt another surge of magic leave him.

A moment later a second, slightly smaller pig was standing next to the first. When he turned to look at his aunt and cousin he was amazed to see them backing away from him, sheer terror in their eyes.

Then he remembered this same room, almost a year ago. Dobby levitating a sumptuous cake, covered in sugared violets. And a letter, a letter from the department of underage magic. He had done magic, outside of school. And the letter said he would be expelled if there was any more magic at Privet Drive. And there on the dining room floor were two pigs that a minute ago had been his uncle Vernon and aunt Marge.

They would come for him. He had heard stories of students who had been expelled. Hagrid was the first he had heard of, but the older years hadn’t been quiet about it. They had told each other stories of witches and wizards who were little more than squibs. They had been expelled for one thing or another, and now lived on the bottom of society. The best they could hope for was something like Hagrid. The only hope they all agreed, was to keep your wand. The last thing you would ever want was to lose your wand. That was the end.

So Harry knew what he had to do. They would come here. Dumbledore at least, knew the address. This was where they would come. He needed to leave.

For a moment he was lost, wondering if Dumbledore himself would be the one to snap Harry’s wand, or if he would allow Snape to do it. Harry could see the look of glee that Snape would have if he were allowed to snap Harry’s wand. Much like the Dursley’s and Marge in particular, Snape took great pleasure in telling Harry every chance he got how horrible Harry was, and how worthless his parents had been.

First things first, he needed his trunk, which was in the cupboard. As he walked towards the small door, it flew open. The latch that normally held it closed flying across the room. Nothing to worry about now, it was too late already. So Harry wrenched the trunk open and drew out his wand. With a wave he made the trunk light so he could move it more easily and fled the house.

He ran as far as he could before he collapsed to catch his breath. Not nearly far enough, he thought, but for the moment he needed to rest. He also needed to decide where he was going to go. Gringotts he thought, would be a good first stop. Except he had no way to get to London, and when the Ministry didn’t find him at Privet Drive that would likely be the next place they checked for him. Could they freeze his account. He’d heard that somewhere before, that the government could prevent a criminal from getting money from the bank. If they could do that then he needed to get there soon. But he had no way to travel. He only had a few pounds left over, and some wizard coins. But the wizard money couldn’t help him get to London. And what little muggle money he had wasn’t enough to buy a train ticket, which was what he would need to get there in anything like a decent amount of time.

He sat there hyperventilating, wondering what he was going to do, for what felt like hours. Until something caught his eye. A shape in the shadow of a garage across the street. A huge, dark shape, except for two yellow pinpricks, blazing in the dark. As he watched, the shape moved. Striding out from the shadow emerged an enormous black furred dog. Normally, Harry was afraid of dogs, but then normally, the only dogs he saw were Marge’s bulldogs, like Ripper. Who were small but loud. Hagrid's giant boarhound Fang oddly enough had never frightened him, even less so after Harry had gotten to know the beast and discovered that he was a big cuddly thing at heart. So it came as only a slight surprise that he felt very little fear at the sight of this massive animal. Perhaps it was like Fang, and just wanted someone to scratch its ears.

Hoping he wasn’t making a huge mistake, and about to get himself eaten, Harry waved for the dog to come closer.


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly, the dog stepped up to the curb, then did an odd thing. It checked the street, looking both ways before it crossed. Harry considered the action and decided it must have been trained to do that, perhaps it was raised around kids.

When the dog was sure the road was clear, it scampered across. When it was standing on his side of the street it stopped and looked Harry over, nodding its great head up and down. With it so close, Harry could see that his first impression was wrong. The dog was quite large, but not quite as large as it had seemed when it was half hidden in shadow.

With its perusal finished, the dog moved closer and began to sniff at Harry. Starting at his feet, it worked its way upward, snuffling around his legs, nearly knocking Harry over as it turned about him. In the dogs enthusiasm it didn’t seem to notice that its tail was wagging cheerfully and slapping Harry about the torso.

The dog finally came to a stop when it got to Harry’s face, where it stopped and cocked its head to one side, mouth lolling open in a doggy grin. Then it licked him.

Harry laughed. While a small voice in his head was screaming about dog slobber, the rest of him was thinking that it would be wonderful to have a friend. A friend that Dudley couldn’t scare away, or beat up. And the dog was as tall as Harry when it stood up, and would probably be taller than Vernon if it stood on its hind legs. It jaws looked like they could open wide enough to fit Harry’s whole head in its mouth. Though with it licking him he didn’t feel like he was in any danger.

Just as he was getting used to the idea of keeping the dog though, a thought occurred to him. The dog was trained, he had seen it check the street for traffic before crossing. That meant it had a family, someone might even now be out looking for it. He almost started to cry, here he was making his first friend in the muggle world, and not only was it a dog, it was a dog he probably couldn’t keep.

Trembling hands lifted to stroke the dogs head. He wanted to say something, but a lump was forming in his throat, and his eyes were burning. So instead he felt at the fur. It was rough, and matted in places. The ears were soft though, and twitched slightly when he brushed against them. Leaning forward, ignoring the snout that was poking at his neck, he reached further back to pet the thick fur around the dog’s neck. He wasn’t checking for a collar, he really wasn’t. But with the fur being so unkempt, maybe the dog had been abandoned, if it didn’t have a collar maybe he wouldn’t have to say goodbye to his new friend.

He took a step forward so he could reach all the way around the dog’s head, feeling for a non-existent collar. When he realized that there was nothing but rough, dirty, matted fur he choked. He didn’t have to let the dog go. He had a new friend, a friend Dudley couldn’t scare, a friend who just maybe would stay with him always. Who wouldn’t nag him about homework, or push him to play chess when he was trying to read.

His thin arms wrapped more tightly around the dog, in a hug that he barely even realised he was giving. His eyes burned and he felt moisture on his cheek, was it raining. Then he heard a sound fall from him, something like a whimper, or a sob. For a moment he was mortified, but it was too late. It was the like the dog had helped him to release a kind of pressure inside him.

Tears fell from him and his arms tightened as the dog seemed to move closer, to wrap its head around him in a return of the hug. And Harry let his emotions go. He couldn’t tell how long he sobbed into the dogs fur, before he started telling the dog all about aunt Petunia, and uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley, and the cupboard, and even aunt Marge. He told the dog how he had accidently turned Marge and Veronon into pigs, and now he would be expelled from magic school, and he didn’t know what he was going to do.

Somewhere in all that he felt the dog’s head lift for a moment, and look around, but he was too far gone in his sobs and explanations to care. Then a moment later he felt something change. He couldn’t tell at first what it was, but something was definitely different. Then he heard a voice whisper, “hold on pup,” and there was a terrible wrenching in the world, as though something had just turned him inside out and sucked him through a hose.

When the world was right again, and he wasn’t about to lose what little dinner he had managed to bolt down, he looked up. The dog, wasn’t a dog anymore. Rather it was a man. A man in a tattered, soiled, black and white striped jumpsuit. His hair was long and unkempt, in places it was matted and filthy, in others it looked greasy. The mans face was long and sunken, his cheekbones stood out and almost seemed like they would cut him if he got too close. The eyes were dark, but Harry could just make out a hint of a glimmer in them.

Harry took a half step back, not quite out of the loose embrace they were still in and recognised the man. Sirius Black, from the news broadcast. Just a few hours ago he had thought about how great it would be to find this man, and they could run from the law together. How lucky to find him so quickly. For a moment he wondered if Dumbledore had anything to do with this. He seemed to orchestrate so many things in Harry’s life, what was one more. But no, even Dumbledore would have had trouble arranging this.

He would have had to sneak Black out of prison, arrange for Marge to visit, insure that Marge was just nasty enough through the week to put the idea of running away in Harry’s head, and then go overboard tonight. Then arrange for Black to be here at the right time. No it couldn’t be Dumbledore this time, this had to just be pure chance.

Peering over the man, Harry wondered at how they had gotten here. He had seen a dog, and motioned for it to join him. He had petted the dog, then hugged the dog. Then there was that wrenching sensation and now there was man. The man and the dog, had to be the same. Maybe the wrenching had been the dog turning into a man. But if they were the same, then that would have to mean that the man was an animagus, like Professor Mcgonagall. Which meant he was a wizard.

That would explain how he broke out of prison. With magic it would be easy. He couldn’t have been held for very long. Unless he was constantly being watched, and had to wait for a time when he wouldn’t break the statute of secrecy. Everyone in the wizarding world was very concerned about not breaking the statute after all. But if Black was a wizard, why did he look like he did? Clothes and hair all dirty and smelly. He should be able to just magic himself clean, shouldn’t he? Oh wait, they take everything from you when you go to prison. So he probably doesn’t have a wand. The teachers at Hogwarts always stress the importance of a wand, and Harry had certainly not been able to do any real magic without his. Yes, that must be it, Black must not have a wand. The animagus transformation didn’t require one, he had seen Mcgonagall transform when her wand was still on her desk. Maybe he should offer to let Black use his to clean himself, but no that wouldn’t work. Ollivander had told him, the wand chooses the wizard. So Black would need to get his own back. But what if he couldn’t.

With a start, Harry realised he had been lost in thought long enough to be noticed. Black was looking at him strangely. Then he remembered what he had said to the dog and he started growing warm. Suddenly he was glad of the shadows, it would be harder to see him blush. He realised he needed to say something, and opened his mouth to blurt out the first thing that came to mind. “You need a bath.”

Black blinked at him, and for a moment nothing happened. Then Black let out a great bark of laughter and fell over. Clutching his sides, Black laughed and laughed. The effect was startling to see, years seemed to roll off the man as he rolled on the ground. In a flash, Harry realised he had seen this man before. Not on the news, but in a different photograph. Standing next to other people. In a wedding photo, on the grounds at Hogwarts, in one he was playing chess with another boy. Much younger than he was now. He had stared long at those pictures, wondering about the people in them. In his photo album, which was currently in his trunk, the one Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year. Pictures of his parents and their friends. Sirius Black was his dad’s best friend. In the wedding photo they had stood next to each other. It had been a photo of the bride and groom, with their best man and maid of honor. Who else but your closest friend would be your best man.

Turning to reach for the trunk, and the album hidden inside he stopped. The dog wasn’t all that had changed. They had been standing on the side of the road, in the middle of Little Whinging. But that wasn’t where they were now. They were on the edge of a bit of swampland, and a forest. Right in between, where the trees don’t grow, but the ground hasn’t quite gotten soft. How did they get here?

Looking around in a moment of panic, he didn’t see Black getting himself under control and looking up at him. Black saw him whipping his head back and forth in confusion. He wondered why James seemed so confused, even scared. They had visited this place numerous times, even ran with Mooney here once. Then he remembered, this wasn’t James. This was Harry, who had probably never visited this place, and if what he had said to Padfoot about his home life was true, he likely didn’t understand how they had gotten here. He would need to explain a few things to his pup. But first he had to get up off the ground. It may still be firm here, but that didn’t mean it was dry, and his prison clothes did nothing to keep him warm. While it was funny as hell that he had said it, and even more that it was the first thing Harry had ever said to his godfather, Harry was also right. Sirius needed a bath, and a change of clothes.

Sitting up he called to the boy. “Harry,” he was amazed to hear his own voice, it was scratchy and rough, he’d need to do something about that, but that would have to wait. “Harry,” he started again, “it’s called apparition.” His godson seemed to calm a little and turned to face him, granting him his full attention for the moment. I smelled other wizards coming toward us. Ministry people, probably looking for you. I couldn’t risk being found, and couldn’t think of a way to get you to let go, so I brought you with me.”

“App, appa, what did you call it?” The green eyed twin of his best friend asked.

“Apparition Harry. It’s a means of travelling magically across almost any distance. Though you have to know where you’re going to, and fairly well at that in order to do it right. Never try to apparate somewhere you’ve never been, the risk of splinching isn’t worth any reason you might have for trying it.”

“Splinching?” Harry asked, the look of confusion still plain on his face.

Sirius wanted to wipe that look off his godson’s face. He had never liked not knowing things. That was why he had spent so much time studying when he was in Hogwarts. He and James and Remus had spent more time in the library than anyone else in their year, even the Ravenclaws. It looked like Harry hadn’t inherited that trait, which just meant he would have to fill in some gaps, and teach him how to use the library when he wasn’t around. Speaking of, Harry had asked a question, and he hadn’t answered it yet, he should do that. What was the question again, oh right, splinching, he wanted to know about the dangers of apparition.

“Splinching is what we call it when you try to apparate but only get part of yourself to move. It happens in three ways. If you aren’t completely sure of wanting to move, your magic will try to compensate by only moving part of you.” Harry was looking a little green at that so Sirius decided to reassure him. “Don’t worry, when they teach you to do it, you never get to travel any further than the other end of the Great Hall, so they can fix you up right quick. For some reason I don’t understand, but some Ravenclaw probably does, when splinching happens it is almost never fatal, and always easy to fix.” Harry was only looking slightly reassured but since Sirius didn’t know what else to say to reassure the boy, he decided to continue with the explanation instead, and hope he didn’t scare the poor kid any worse.

“The second way splinching can happen is if you think too much about the distance between you and your destination, that can make your magic leaves bits of you scattered along the way to where you’re going.” Oh crap, now Harry looked like he was going to throw up. “Careful there, don’t worry, that only happens if you do it wrong. When you learn to do it, you’ll learn to do it right so that won’t happen.” As Harry was smiling weakly he determined that it would be okay to finish out the explanation, there was only one left and it wasn’t the worst.

“The last way splinching happens is when you try to do it when tired or disoriented, say because you’re drunk. In either case, you’re connection to your magic is weak, so you don’t have enough energy to manage the apparition. It’s hard to tell the difference from the outside between that and the first, because it just leaves part of you behind.” Harry was finally looking a little reassured so Sirius wanted to give the explanation a good strong finish, just like Remus always said was important. “But what’s important is that you never try apparating unless you are completely sure of where you want to go, that you want to be there, and that you are only thinking of being there, and finally that you are fully awake, and aware of what you are doing.”

“Umm, thank you Mr. Black, for explaining all that.” Harry said quietly. It had been an odd explanation, and some of what Black had said was disturbing. One thing was definitely sure, he was not going to try apparating for a long time if it was that dangerous. But more importantly, the man had answered his question. He normally didn’t ask questions, he had been told too many times that adults don’t like to be asked questions, but the words had been too unfamiliar and the question had just slipped out before he could stop it. But the man answered both, without hesitation or even a foul look, like Petunia used to give him whenever he had asked something she had to answer. This man just told him what he wanted to know. It was kind of nice.

Mr. Black? Sirius thought, eugh, that was horrible. Harry shouldn’t call him that. Harry should call him Sirius, or Padfoot, or really almost anything but Mr. Black. That was a title for a crusty old codger too set in his ways to even acknowledge that there was another way of thinking or acting. Not for Sirius, the marauder, animagus before finishing Hogwarts, befriender of werewolves. No he deserved to be called something else, maybe like Lord Black, James used to call him that when they were teasing each other about family. Or even Mister Padfoot, as the other marauders called him when they were planning pranks.

He looked up, ready to tell Harry that he didn’t like being called Mr. Black, and would prefer something else. But his attention was shunted by the look on Harry’s face. Harry looked scared, why would Harry look scared, was something behind him. He looked around quickly but there was nothing there, what could it be. Then he realized he had been scowling, if Harry’s home life was what it sounded like from his sobbing story he might equate scowling with being in trouble, which could mean almost any kind of punishment. For a moment he recalled the last time his father had scowled at him. That had been bad, it was the day he had finally left the house for good. Orion had tried to force him to join the death eaters. He had refused of course, and his father had calmly stated that he would give Sirius to his cousin Bellatrix if he didn’t do as he was told. He’d waited for his father to turn, then hexed the man in the back and run. It had been one of the scariest moments in his life.

With a start he realised he had gotten lost in memory. He needed to reassure Harry. He looked up again, and his godson was turning away, looking at the ground. “Harry,” the boy turned back, a look of hope fleeting across his face, “sorry, I got distracted. Please call me Sirius, or Padfoot. Mr. Black is a title I don’t care for. Speaking of, what would you prefer I call you?”

Black’s voice was rough, harsh, and dry. It sounded a bit like rubbing two rusty tin cans together. But it was clear he hadn’t spoken in a while so maybe he just wasn’t used to it. And he sort of apologised for scowling at him, or Harry guessed, not scowling at him, but rather scowling at the name. He didn’t like being called Mr. Black, Harry could understand that. He hated being called Potter, or Boy, and he really hated the word freak in any context. He rather liked being called Harry, so he could understand Mr. Black wanting to be called something else, he should probably start calling him something else in his head, Sirius, or Padfoot maybe.

“Padfoot?” Harry asked, hoping he hadn’t gone too far with asking questions.

Sirius face lit up with a broad smile. “It’s the name your dad and Mooney gave me when we were in school.” He said reverently. “In honor of my animagus forms large paws.”

Harry chuckled, that made sense he thought and seemed to fit the odd man in a way. Padfoot, he considered the name, allowed it to roll around in his head. It fit, and he liked how it sounded in his mind, Padfoot. Yes, he could think of the man as Padfoot, and that would make it easier to remember not to call him Mr. Black.

Then he remembered the question Padfoot had asked him. What did he prefer to be called, except he didn’t have a nickname, only his own, Harry. But that was okay, he might get a nickname later, maybe he could become an animagus too, that would be cool, then he could be named for his forms traits just like Sirius. Oh right, he should tell Sirius that for now he liked to be called Harry.

“Umm, call me Harry for now. It’s the only name I have that I really like. Maybe someday I’ll get a nickname too, maybe if I can become an animagus too.” He wanted to blurt this out very fast, as it was kind of embarrassing, but it came out slow and quiet, as though he were telling some great secret of the universe. He could feel his cheeks glowing and wished they would stop.

Sirius smiled again. His godson was adorable, like a little lost puppy just looking for a home. Well he would give him a home, the best home anyone could ever ask for. Which reminded him, he hadn’t eaten all day, and he had heard Harry’s stomach rumble a few times when he was sobbing all over Padfoot. Maybe he should think about getting something to eat.

“Are you hungry Harry?” Sirius asked. “Would you like to get something to eat?”

Harry was abruptly cut off from his contemplation of what kind of animal he might turn into by the question. He pondered it for a moment, but was cut off from that as well, by the rumble of his stomach, which had apparently decided to answer for him.

Sirius chuckled. “Well, that’s an answer. So, what sounds good then?”

Harry considered the question. “Well, I’m not sure what sounds good. Apart from Hogwarts I’ve never really been allowed to eat whatever I like.” He normally wouldn’t say that to anyone, except he already had during his fit against the dog. So it wouldn’t matter, as Sirius already knew. And besides there was something else to consider before food anyway. “But if we’re going to go anywhere, you still need a bath, and a change would probably help too. I’d offer my wand, but I doubt it would help, since it didn’t choose you. Do you know where yours is? Can we get it back for you?”

Sirius blinked. Harry just offered to allow him the use of his wand. He didn’t think the boy would accept him so quickly. That was major, that was trust beyond, wait, Harry wasn’t raised in the wizarding world. He probably didn’t know that offering his wand to someone else was such a big deal.

“Harry, have you ever offered your wand to someone else before?” He tried to sound friendly as he asked, he really did, but he wasn’t sure if he had managed as Harry was looking a bit wary.

“No, am I not supposed to?” Harry heard the trepidation in his own voice and shuddered. He hadn’t wanted his fear to be that obvious. But Sirius had scared him with his reaction. While it was clear the man had tried not to let it show, his tone was one of worry.

“Sort of, you should only offer to let someone borrow your wand if you trust them completely. Never give it to a stranger under any circumstances, and even to a friend, only if it’s really important. It’s one of the unspoken, unwritten rules. Your wand is yours, no one else’s.”

Harry nodded, that made sense, and he hadn’t really offered his wand to Sirius, he only said that he would. “But, you didn’t answer my question. Do you know where yours is? And can we get it back for you?”

Sirius watched the boy for a moment, he seemed to understand, but Sirius wanted to be sure the message got through. Then he started, Harry had asked a good question. Unfortunately, Sirius had now clue what the answer was. He hadn’t seen his wand since they had taken it from him at his arrest. “I don’t know kiddo. They took it when I was arrested. Not sure what they did with it. For all I know it was destroyed. I’ll have to get a new one, but that won’t be easy. I’ve got no money, and I couldn’t just stroll into Ollivanders even if I did.”

“And I couldn’t go in and pick one out for you. I wouldn’t know what to grab. What about other wand sellers. I know Hagrid said Ollivander was the best, but there must be a wand seller who doesn’t mind helping criminals. I mean, how else would they get wands if there weren’t.”

Sirius chuckled again. “True pup, but I don’t know where to find them. I never spent any time with that crowd.”

“But then why were you arrested?” Harry was confused. Sirius had been in prison. Even if he hadn’t seen the news report of the breakout he would know that, just from looking at him, or smelling him. Sirius really needed a bath. If Siirus weren’t a criminal then why was he in prison?”

“I was framed, not that it would have mattered. Crouch just needed an excuse, he never bothered with a trial if he didn’t have to. And almost no one ever called him on it. Too pleased to lock up the bad eggs without giving them a chance to buy their way out of paying for their crimes. And he hated my family, so having me hauled in was like getting a bonus.”

“You didn’t get a trial?” Harry sounded horrified, even to his own ears. That was terrible, he hoped Sirius hadn’t had to wait too long before he escaped. But he didn’t want to cause the man any pain so he dropped the subject. He knew how hard it was for him to talk about the things that had gone wrong in his life.

Sirius was about to open his mouth for a long explanation about the war, and everything that happened, and often went wrong, when he was distracted by his own belly rumbling. “No, I didn’t. But we can talk about that later. I believe we were discussing food. Which we don’t need a wand for. So what would you like?”

“We may not need a wand, but unless you plan to run down dinner with your teeth, or know where there’s a garden we can steal from, we might need money. And before we go into a store, I really think you should get cleaned up.”

Sirius looked down at himself. His godson had a point. He was pretty dirty, and he could smell himself, it was not a pleasant smell. He really did need a bath. But he knew a place they could go. A place that should have clean clothes, and a bathtub. “I can handle that, I know a place we can go. Might even find food there, now I’m thinking of it. Come here,” he held out his arms, “ oh and grab your trunk, don’t want to leave it behind.”

Harry grimaced. “Are we going to do that apparating thing again?”

“Yep.” Sirius smiled, his godson was a quick learner. That was good, that was one of the things Lilly had always worried about. She wanted her son to be smart, and had often hoped he would go into Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor, even though every time she said that, he and James would argue with her. He saw the grimace and berated himself for getting sidetracked again. “Don’t worry pup, I’m really good at it, and know exactly where we are going. Just hold on tight, and try not to think about it.” He smiled hoping he hadn’t just scared Harry even more.

Harry took a moment to grab his trunk. While the trip here had been uncomfortable, he hadn’t been hurt. So he knew that Padfoot could manage it, but it was still scary to think about, he didn’t want to end up scattered over the countryside. But then he didn’t know where they were going. For all he knew they wouldn’t go any further than the other side of the woods. Which as he couldn’t see more than a dozen yards into them, could only be a mile. And if he closed his eyes, and just thought about Padfoot, maybe he wouldn’t even notice it this time. With a plan in mind, even if it was a flimsy plan, Hermione would be nagging him if she knew, he grabbed the handle of his trunk and went to grab Padfoot in a hug. It was different than hugging the dog he noted as he wrapped his arms around the man’s ribs. Where the dog had been mostly fur, the man was largely skin and bone. He really did need a good meal, along with a bath.

Almost as soon as he had a grip, there was a twist and that wrenching sensation of being turned inside out and sucked through a hose. Then they were standing in a new place. A living room by the looks of it.

“Welcome to my home, sort of.” Sirius said with a grand bow and sweep of his arm. “It doesn’t look like anyone else has been here since I left.” He added motioning to where some robes had been left lying across the back of a sofa. There was a lot of dust on nearly every visible surface. “Place needs a spot of cleaning.” He continued with a shudder. “Hope the water still works. I’ll just have a quick bath and get changed, then we’ll see about food.”

Harry watched as his new friend headed down a narrow hallway and through a door at the far end. He wondered what he was meant to do while he waited. After a moment he shrugged and set his trunk down. If they were going to be staying here for a bit then it would be nice to have a clean place to sit. Walking around the front room, which he now saw was actually a combination of sitting room, kitchen and dining area. With the kitchen area open and tucked into one corner, with a dining table and chairs next to it. Opposite the kitchen there was what looked to be a closet, Harry went to look inside, maybe there was a hoover he could use to start cleaning.

It was a closet, but it did not house a hoover, rather it seemed to be the wizarding equivalent of a coat closet, holding a large variety of cloaks and scarves. Most of which were in Gryffindor colors, though a few were black or dark blue.

Closing the closet, Harry turned to continue his survey of the little flat. The wall next to the closet was covered in wizard photos, mostly of the same five people. Four boys and one girl. He recognised Sirius and his parents, he was sure he had seen pictures of the other two somewhere, but couldn’t quite recall where.

Next to the photos at what he decided to call the back of the room, as the outside door was across from it, between the kitchen and the closet. Was a seating area, with a sofa and two armchairs sat so that they blocked off the rest of the room, and were facing each other. A small table sat between them. All together it looked like a cozy if small home. And depending on what was down the hall might be a good place for entertaining friends or enjoying some quiet time alone. He’d have to check what was there later.

Opening his trunk, he pulled out the photo album he had forgotten about earlier and started to flip through it, looking for the wedding photo. After a couple of pages he realised where he had seen the other two boys before. There they were, all four of them, standing together next to the black lake, under the tree that he liked to study under. Obviously they had been good friends, but who were they? And where were they? Why had none of them ever gotten in touch? Sirius had a good reason, Harry doubted that the prison guards would have let him out just to visit his old friends son. But what about these other two? Maybe they were in prison as well. Could he and Sirius break them out? Then they could all be on the run together, almost like a family.

As the thought struck him Harry almost kicked himself for thinking it. Hadn’t the Dursleys made it clear that he didn’t deserve a family. While he normally avoided agreeing with anything the Dursleys ever said, it was hard to think of that one as wrong. Certainly no one had ever claimed him as family. While he was required to call Petunia and Marge aunt, and Vernon uncle, he was never called nephew, nor acknowledged in any way as family. In the wizarding world he thought it might be different, but he had been wrong.

A quick perusal of the library section on families had revealed that he was related to a little over half of his year group at Hogwarts, including Draco Malfoy, and his best friend Ron Weasley. Yet when he asked about it, no one had bothered to tell him they were related. And when he had approached Susan Bones last year she had shied away from the topic. They were cousins, in fact she was his closest cousin apart from Draco as far as he could tell. He would be tempted to think it was the whole Heir of Slytherin thing that had caused her to shy away, except that he approached her long before that had started, when she would have had no reason, beyond a lack of interest to push him away.

Why he wondered, why did no one want him? Especially with him being famous. No matter how much he hated hearing about that, it really made him wonder. If he was so famous, why did no one want him, excepting over eager fan girls like Ginny.

There was a sound behind him and he turned to see what it was, losing track of his thoughts. It was Sirius, who looked like a new man. The bath had done him some good, returning a bit of color to his cheeks, and washing away the grime from his hair, which was now looking silky, if still a bit less than healthy, where it hung down past his shoulders. He’d lost the prison jumpsuit in favor of heavy linen trousers, thick leather boots like the bikers he’d seen, a soft, blue cotton shirt, and over it all a sturdy open robe in a deep crimson.

“How do I look now?” He asked winking cheekily. “Stunning, yes I know.” He added in a slightly posh accent. His voice had improved immensely. Either he’d gotten a drink as well, or just being soaked through had helped.

Harry tried to speak but found he was unable to get past the lump that he hadn’t noticed forming in his throat. Instead, he held out the album, open to the page with the wedding photo.

Looking a bit crestfallen at Harry’s lack of reaction to his entrance, Sirius stepped forward to look at the album. When he saw what was there, his face fell. “Harry I,” but before he could say any more there was a pounding on the door.

Bang, bang, bang. “Open up Black, we know you’re in there.” A voice called from the other side. And from the sound of it, the voice must have come from someone who could eat both he and Harry in a single bite. This was a bad place for them to be, Sirius thought, as he asked himself what to do.

Fortunately, Harry was never one to seize up in a bad situation. Probably thanks to Dudley, he had been chased so many times by his cousin that he seemed to know what to do instinctively. He dropped the album back in the trunk and slammed it closed. Then he grabbed up the handle and wrapped himself around Sirius as hard as he could and yelled, as quietly as he could. “Get us out of here. Back to where we were before.”

Sirius blinked down at his godson, where they were, oh right. The boy was pretty smart he thought as he wrapped an arm protectively around Harry. With a twist they were gone from the apartment and back on the moor.

“I must be getting used to it.” Harry said as he let go of Padfoot. “It didn’t feel nearly as bad that time.” He smiled up at the man. “Thanks for getting us out Padfoot.”

Sirius smiled. “You’re welcome Harry. I should have realised they’d come looking for me there. No one else has called that place home in over a decade. Kind of an obvious choice, now I’m thinking a little clearer. Now, what are we doing about food?”

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but instead of words, a long yawn escaped. “Wow, maybe we should skip food, and just find somewhere to get some sleep.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Sirius replied. “We can do that. I’ve gone longer without food, and we can get something in the morning easy enough. Of course, now I’m clean, I don’t relish the idea of sleeping on the ground. Any ideas?”

Harry considered the question but shrugged. “Not really, I can think of one place, but I don’t know how to get us there. I guess it’s up to you, at least for tonight.”

Sirius nodded again and thought for a moment. “Okay, I might know a place. It’s not very nice, but we should be able to get in and get some sleep before anyone comes to bother us. We’ll need to be quiet though, I don’t know if anyone else is living there or not.”

He opened his arms, and Harry stepped back into them, holding on tight. A twist and a crack, and the moor was empty again.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday, 6 July

Morning came bright and early. Sirius had brought them to a small farm where they made beds for themselves in the hay loft. It had not been the most comfortable place Harry had ever slept. Though, he thought ruefully as he stretched, it was still better than the cupboard, even if it was a bit breezy.

“Morning, sleep well?” Sirius asked as he too sat up. His clothes were a little rumpled from having been slept in, but he still looked a good deal better than he had when Harry had first seen him.

“Well enough.” Harry replied to the question. “Hungry though.” He added rubbing at his growling stomach. “Maybe we should think about breakfast before anything else.”

“Agreed.” Sirius nodded looking for all the world like a dog being offered a treat. “Where shall we eat?”

“Umm, well, I would think somewhere we aren’t likely to be recognised. Unless you know a way to disguise us.”

“Can you do a glamour?”

Harry opened his mouth to reply that he couldn’t do magic outside of school. Then he remembered where they were, and how he had come to be here. So instead he thought about the question. He wasn’t sure exactly what a glamour was, but it sounded like a way to change how they looked. Which would probably mean it was a transfiguration, he wasn’t bad at those, but he hadn’t done any human transfiguration yet, so he didn’t think it would be a good idea to try. “No, sorry.” He finally answered, figuring it would be better than trying to fumble his way through learning a new spell on an empty stomach.

“Well then, I guess we’ll just have to risk it without one then. After food, we can try to sneak into somewhere I can try to get a wand. Not sure how that will work, but I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

Then Harry remembered something important. “Umm, do you have any money?”

Sirius looked confused for a moment, then his face fell. “Crap, I completely forgot about that last night. And I don’t dare go back to my place right now. The Aurors are bound to be watching the place. What about you pup, have anything on you?”

Harry shook his head. “Just a few coins and a little muggle money. I was planning to go to Gringotts first thing. Then I ran into you, and got sidetracked. Not that I had any idea how I was going to get there.” He fell silent trying to work out some way for them to get breakfast.

“Hmm.” Sirius hummed a little as he too thought about the problem. They could owl order things, that would prevent them from being caught in the store. But that wouldn’t help with getting food, right now. They could slip into Gringotts through one of the side entrances, but that would still mean going to areas that could be being watched. While he had a perfect disguise, no one knew about his dog form, unless Mooney had told someone, but if he had why wouldn’t they have done something about it while he was still in prison. No, Mooney hadn’t told anyone, and he wouldn’t now, because he was afraid of what they would do if they found out he had withheld information.

This was suddenly a lot harder than he thought it would be. They couldn’t just walk into a place and ask for charity. Not only was it rude, and unlikely to work, it could get the authorities called on them, which was the last thing they wanted. They couldn’t just go to Gringotts and get money, and sending an owl for some would work, but would take too long. If only they had a house elf. He could call for one of the Black elves, but they would be bound to report his location to the current head of the family, and his father would turn them in just to be a dick.

Out of ideas he turned to Harry who didn’t seem to be doing any better at thinking of a solution. “I’m a little stumped pup. Have you thought of anything?”

“No Padfoot, sorry.” Harry’s face fell, and Sirius instantly felt bad for the kid.

“It’s okay pup. We’ll think of something.”

“Umm,” it was hesitant, but Harry clearly wanted to say something. Sirius gave him what he thought was an encouraging smile and nodded for him to continue. After a moment Harry seemed to pluck up his nerve and spoke. “What did you think of? Maybe if we pool our thoughts we can find a way around the problem. Hermione always tries to tell me not to keep my thoughts to myself, that by working together we can find answers more easily, and..” He trailed off looking mortified.

What was that Harry thought. I was just going to say that we could try to work together, and then all that other stuff started spilling out. It was like I couldn’t stop. And mentioning Hermione, where did that come from.

But he was distracted when Sirius started talking through his thoughts and Harry needed to pay attention.

“Well, my first thought was that we could owl order something. If we just list a vault number no one would even know it was either of us placing the order. There’s two problems with that. First it would take hours for the order to get to us, and second we don’t have an owl.” Harry blinked, that reminded him, where was Hedwig. He had sent her off to Ron a week ago, and she hadn’t come back yet, but she was pretty smart. Had he told her when to come back? Would she know how to find him, she did always seem to know just where to go. Maybe they were just far enough from her starting point that she hadn’t caught up yet.

“Then I thought about sneaking into Gringotts. There are four entrances we could use. I imagine you know the main one on Diagon Alley.” At Harry’s nod he went on. “Then there’s the Knockturn Alley entrance, we’d have some trouble using that one as not only are the Aurors probably watching it, they most likely aren’t alone. Knockturn is where most of the dark arts stuff is sold, so it’s a favorite spot for all the dark families. Then there’s the Fareweather Alley entrance, the Aurors are less likely to be watching that one, but Fareweather is where all the non-humans shop. We’d stick out like sore thumbs, so if anyone were watching, we’d be caught in a heartbeat. And the last entrance moves, I couldn’t tell you where it is right now.”

Wow, that’s a lot of different places. And a whole alley, like diagon but for non-humans. Harry suddenly had an image of a goblin carrying a basket through a fruit market and had to hold in a chuckle.

“And last but not least, I thought about house elves. A house elf could pop over to Gringotts grab some money from our vaults, then pop over to Fareweather, purchase groceries, then pop somewhere to cook us a meal, and then pop back to us with breakfast all ready to go. And all that in about half an hour, depending on what we wanted to eat.” Harry’s eyes brightened at the idea. “But,” Sirius held up a hand, “we don’t have a house elf. All the Potter elves were killed a few years before you were born, and Lilly was so against the idea of replacing them that James never did.” There was an odd hitch in Sirius voice as he spoke aloud the name of Harry’s father, but Harry ignored it. “I’d consider calling one of the Black elves, except they are beholden to the current head of the Black family. Which is my dad, and he’d turn us in for a laugh.”

Sirius took a deep breath and tried to smile. “So, what did you think of?”

“Well, nothing really. I got as far as, we could slip into a market and steal something, before I remembered that even if we managed that, we don’t have anywhere to cook anything.”

“That’s right.” Sirius said with a little shake of his head. “We should really find a place to stay. That might help work out some of our food issue too. But where.” He fell into a contemplative silence as his mind began to whir along the lines of possibility. But he was dragged back out of his thoughts as Harry continued.

“I have an owl, I’m not sure where she is right now, but she always finds me eventually. So we could send her for something when she gets back.” Sirius brightened at the mention of Harry’s owl, then lost a bit of that brightness with the explanation that they would have to wait for the return of the owl before they could use that means of getting food.

“And, a house elf…” Harry trailed off, thinking. “What are the requirements for a house elf to help?”

Sirius blinked. Could Harry have a house elf? No, if he did, he would have just called for it, rather than asking questions. Maybe he knows a house elf, likely one from Hogwarts. Maybe one with access to the kitchens. And a Hogwarts house elf would be bound to tell a teacher, but only if they asked, which was unlikely as hardly anyone ever thought to ask a house elf for information.

“Well pup, we would need to be sure they wouldn’t run off to tell anyone where we were, and that they could get us food.”

“I think I know one we could trust. As long as we don’t tell him my life is in danger. I don’t fancy him trying to save my life again. But he’s a free elf, so he wouldn’t have to tell anyone, and could choose not to.”

“Wait, wait.” Sirius held up a hand to stop the flow of information. “You said a free elf?”

“Yeah, I freed him at the end of last year. Sort of.”

“Sort of? How do you sort of free a house elf?”

“Well, he was the Malfoy’s house elf, but they treated him badly. So I tricked Mr. Malfoy into giving Dobby my sock. Which set Dobby free.”

“You tricked Lucious Malfoy into giving his elf a sock.” Sirius asked, a dumbfounded expression plastered across his face. At Harry’s slow nod of affirmation he fell over, howling. “That..Is..The..Funniest..Thing..I’ve..Heard..In..Years.” Sirius managed to pant out between wheezing breaths and gales of laughter.

Picking up on the mood, Harry chuckled along with Padfoot. “Well, I’m glad you like the joke Sirius, but you haven’t answered the question. Could we get Dobby to help?”

Clutching his ribs, Sirius slowly sat up and got himself under control. “Even better pup. If you bond with this Dobby, he could get money from your vault for you, and do your shopping. It would save us a lot of trouble in the long run. Assuming he’s willing of course. If he’s been freed once, he may not want to bond again. But then again, I’ve never met a house elf who didn’t want to be bound. They love to work, and they love taking care of people. The only way to make one unhappy is to abuse them. But then if there weren’t exceptions, the rule would be meaningless.”

Harry cocked an eyebrow, something he had been working to teach himself how to do for the last couple of years, ever since he saw Professor Mcgonagall do it one time, and it looked like a great way to silently indicate concern for someone’s sanity, which is what he thought she was doing when she looked at Seamus that way after the third time he blew up something in her classroom.

It sounded like getting Dobby to help was the best plan, and he guessed it wouldn’t hurt to ask the little guy if he wanted to bond with Harry, whatever that meant. That just left the question of how to get in touch with him. Hedwig could probably manage, but that still left waiting for her to show up, then waiting for her to deliver the message, then waiting for Dobby to show up. Oh well, it seemed there would be a lot of waiting in their near future.

Sirius was watching his godson, who seemed to be deep in thought. Probably he was debating with himself if he could handle bonding a house elf that used to belong to a dark family. He’d wonder about that himself, except that he came from a dark family. He was living proof that your background didn’t dictate who you were. But what was taking Harry so long to decide, it was a tough question sure, but it wasn’t that hard.

Wanting to get past this point so they could get food he decided to interrupt Harry’s thoughts. “So, what have you decided?”

Harry was so adorable when he was confused, maybe he could hold off on teaching the kid too much, just to see that adorable look more often. “Well, I mean, I’m okay with asking Dobby to bond with me. But we still have to wait for a way to get a message to him.”

Get a message to him? Sirius was sure his face was showing just as much confusion as Harry’s had been a moment ago. Surely he didn’t mean to send the elf a letter, did he? He must not know enough about house elves to know that they would come when called. Although, would that work with a free elf? Or was it only someone they were bonded to already? Well, they did have a quick way to find out.

“Harry, I’m not sure if it will work with a free elf or not. But with a bonded elf, they can hear their master anywhere, or something like that. At any rate they always come when called. Just call his name like you want him to come. If it works, he’ll be here in a jiffy. If not, then we’ll have to come up with something else for now.”

Harry blinked. Could that really work? Could he just call for Dobby and have him show up here? But wait, had Dobby ever been here? Would he know how to apparate here?

“Umm, Sirius, you said to never apparate somewhere you’ve never been. How would Dobby be able to get here if he’s never been here before?”

Sirius opened his mouth, then closed it again. “You know, I’ve never asked a house elf how they manage that. But I’ve seen them do it many times. It must be a difference in their magic. House elf magic is different from ours, and I don’t know that anyone has ever studied it. I haven’t ever seen a book on the subject. Still, the same thing applies. If he can’t get here, then we still have to work out something else to do. But we won’t know until you try.”

“But what if I call him, and he splinches himself trying to get here?” 

Harry was looking rather worried, he must care about this elf, despite not knowing him very well, if they only met last year. Still, they weren’t going to get food by sitting around arguing. So, new tactic.

“Well, if you don’t want to call Dobby, do you know any of the other house elves from Hogwarts? They are bound to the school, and will do whatever a student or teacher asks. They do have to answer any question a professor asks them, but they don’t have to volunteer any information. So we could call them if we knew any of their names.”

Harry shook his head. He had never met any of the Hogwarts house elves. He was a little surprised to learn that there were house elves at the school, but then he shouldn’t be. Someone had to do all the cooking and most of the cleaning. Filch certainly couldn’t do it all himself, not without magic anyway.

Hoping nothing went wrong Harry took a deep breath and called. “Dobby.” For a moment nothing happened as he and Sirius slowly looked around the hay loft. Then there was a soft pop and Dobby appeared standing next to them. Harry jumped, and fell over, an involuntary reaction that was only the surprise of having someone appear out of thin air next to him.

Sirius, of course, fell over laughing at Harry’s reaction.

Sitting up Harry scowled at Sirius before turning to Dobby. Before he could say anything though, the elf spoke.

“Master Harry Potter sir called for Dobby.” Despite the wide mouth, long pointed ears, and huge tennis ball like eyes, and the fact that he was shorter than Harry, Dobby seemed to have an air of quiet dignity to him. As though he had seen things like this a hundred times before, and expected to see them a hundred more times before anything changed. His voice though, held none of that quality. It was high-pitched, and squeaky, as though a child were speaking, shorty after sucking down a helium filled balloon. Which completely destroyed the image of the elf as dignified. Still, he was a lot more sober than he had been the last time Harry had seen him.

“Umm, yes Dobby, I did. I was hoping you could help us with something, and then I had a question for you. First, I was hoping you could get us something to eat. Umm, something like the breakfasts at Hogwarts, if you know how breakfast is served at Hogwarts.”

“Oh yes Harry Potter sir, Dobby is knowing the breakfasts at Hogwarts very well sir. Former little bad master Draco is always complaining about them sir.” As Dobby stopped speaking his eyes grew large. Looking terribly frightened he glanced around the loft and reached for a nearby baling hook.

Knowing what was coming, Harry dove to grab the elf before he could hurt himself. “No Dobby, you’re free now. You don’t have to punish yourself for anything.” He said, wrapping his arms around the elf to hold him until he stopped struggling. When at last the elf calmed he let go. “Now, how about breakfast?” He asked as his stomach let out a growl.

“Oh, Master Harry Potter sir is hungry, yes Dobby will get food for Master Harry Potter, and Master Harry Potter’s dogfather right away.” And before Harry could ask about that last comment Dobby vanished with a loud crack.

“Well, I guess that worked.” Sirius commented dryly. “While we wait for him to get back, what say we work on a plan for what to do next?”

Harry quickly forgot about the dogfather comment in favor of chatting amiably about what they would do today. He was still kind of partial to the idea of robbing and pillaging along the coast, though he was still unsure of what exactly that meant. However he didn’t mention it to Sirius just yet. He thought that might go over better with a full stomach.

Eventually, Dobby returned with breakfast. Two large plates, positively heaping with eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast, along with a large covered mug of pumpkin juice each. It actually was more than either of them could finish, though they made a valiant effort, so as not to disappoint Dobby, who was clearly nervous about their reactions. Harry and Sirius both were careful to make several appreciative noises in order to reassure the little elf, and Dobby seemed to relax.

When they had eaten their fill and were sitting back, sipping on their mugs of pumpkin juice, Harry turned to Dobby.

“Thank you again for breakfast Dobby, it was wonderful.” He held up a hand to stall the elf as he was getting ready for some manner of effusive thanks. “Now there’s something I wanted to ask you about.” Dobby’s eyes brightened, and Harry pushed on, hoping to prevent an outburst, at least until it was time for Dobby to answer.

“I find myself in need of a house elf Dobby. And I was wondering if you would like to bond with me, or if you would prefer to remain free, if you know of any other free elf who would like to bond with me?”

When he finished, Dobby was nearly bouncing. At least he’s smiling, Harry thought. “Oh yes Harry Potter, yes. It is being Dobby’s greatest wish to serve the great Harry Potter sir.”

Sirius looked over. “Dobby, earlier you called Harry, master Harry Potter. It was my understanding that an elf only called someone master after they had bonded with them?” The lilt of Sirius voice indicated that he was asking for an explanation, which Dobby was only too happy to provide.

“Dobby wants to be Harry Potters house elf sir. But it is being rude to ask to bond with a wizard. So Dobby is calling master Harry Potter master, in the hope that the great Harry Potter will notice. Then Dobby could explain, and the great Harry Potter would know what Dobby wants, without Dobby having to ask and dishonor himself.”

Sirius and Harry both chuckled. But it was Sirius who spoke. “Clever Dobby, and sneaky. I like it. Well, he’s asked.” Sirius nodded to Harry, and Dobby moved to stand in front of the boy.

“Umm, what do I do?” Harry asked, glancing at Sirius.

“Place your hand on his head.” When Harry had done so he continued. “Now, reach for your magic and push a little of it to your hand. Once it’s there say, oh what was it? Right, say, Dobby, I take you as my house elf. Dobby will do the rest.”

A look of intense concentration crossed Harry face as he pushed his magic around. This was a lot harder than it looked. He didn’t really have a lot of practice with moving his magic around. Hogwarts focused on simply casting spells, rather than working directly with his magic. Maybe that was a topic they would cover later. When he spoke the words, there was an odd feeling, like a pull and a push, simultaneously. It lasted only a second, and when it passed he felt a subtle change. Like his world had grown, but he still couldn’t see the edge.

Dobby was looking pleased, he now had an even bigger smile than when he had first arrived. “Dobby is now Master Harry Potter sir’s house elf. Dobby will be happy to do whatever Master Harry Potter wants. How can Dobby be helping.”

Harry couldn’t help it, the little guy just looked so pleased with himself, he let out a small chuckle. When he heard it, Sirius let out a bark of a laugh. Dobby didn’t seem to understand, but joined in the chuckles as a show of loyalty.

“You’re wonderful Dobby. Thank you. I know we’ll need food again this evening, but apart from that, I’m not sure. Sirius, can you think of anything we need that Dobby can help with?”

“Yeah, though we’ll need to work out a few details first. We’ll need some help getting a place cleaned up, maybe even furnished. But first we have to decide where we’re going.”

“Well, obviously we can’t go to your flat. Is there anywhere they won’t immediately come looking for us?”

“I’m not sure, let’s make a list of all the places we can go, then go from there.”

“Okay.”

Looking around for a moment, Sirius pointed to Harry’s trunk. It took Harry a second to realize what he wanted, but he fished out some parchment and quill without complaint.

“It’s self inking.” He told Padfoot as he handed the items over.

“That’ll help, thanks pup. Now let’s see, what places are there?”

Harry listened as the man thought out loud for several minutes. He made many comments in the vein of, “no not there” and “that place is gone” as he wrote down ideas. One in particular stood out to Harry, though more for it’s name than any other reason, Black Fortress. Unfortunately, Sirius did not put it on the list, and Harry wanted to know why.

“Black Fortress was the original home of the Black family. Built before Hogwarts, it was meant to be a grand place. According to family legend it was built to withstand anything. Which might be right, it’s hard to tell. The place was built in a swamp, and loaded down with every protective enchantment they could think of. As far as we can tell, the place is still intact, but it’s half sunk into the swamp, and the wards won’t let anyone near it. No member of the family has been able to enter in almost two hundred years. Although that hasn’t stopped any of us from trying. You’re dad and I gave it a go, the summer after we finished Hogwarts. We couldn’t even get within a hundred yards. Grandpa always said there was some trick to getting in, a trick that had been lost, or hidden. If we could just figure out what it is, or even just happen upon it, we could learn about our earliest family.”

Sirius fell into silence for most of a minute after that. When Harry coughed, he gave a start and shook his head to clear it, then continued with his list.

In the end he had whittled it down to three options. The Black townhouse, in London, or the Black Manor, in Cornwall, or the Potter Lodge in Sherwood. He explained that the Potters had a manor, but it was destroyed by death eaters during the war. Rather than rebuild, James had sold the land, and had begun the process of finding a new location, but had not found one before Halloween. So all that was left was the Potter cottage in Godric’s Hollow, which was a poor choice as it would definitely be watched, and the Potter hunting lodge, known simply as Potter Lodge, where generations of Potters had gone to hunt, fish, and otherwise roll in the dirt, as Sirius mother would have said. He and James had spent many a summer day there, learning to live on the land.

Their other options didn’t sound particularly good. The Black townhouse, was where Sirius had grown up. He shuddered when he was telling Harry about it. Which meant it was tossed out as an option, although he might send Dobby to grab some of Sirius old things, and maybe the library. Black Manor sounded pretty nice, but again, it had been the home of Sirius grandfather, and a place Sirius hated visiting as a child. So it too was out. Not to mention that while it was likely the Aurors were not watching those properties. Any remaining Blacks would be, or possibly even living in them. Sirius parents had lived in the Townhouse obviously, though if grandfather was gone, they would have moved to the Manor. So the Black properties were out as options until they learned more, regardless of how they felt about them personally.

So, Potter lodge it was then. They got packed up quickly and once more Harry held on tight as Sirius twisted them into nothing, and they arrived in front of a small, quaint cabin.

Harry stumbled a little when he stepped inside. As he should have expected, the lodge was much larger on the inside. Having been in the wizarding world for a couple of years now, and actually witnessing the movement of classrooms and hallways at Hogwarts, he really should have foreseen the possibility of walking into a home to see the staircase moving, and a suit of armor dusting.

However, it was actually not either of those which caused him to stumble. Rather it was the sight of the six foot tall wall clock facing the entrance. The short arm of the clock was almost as long as Harry was tall, and when he focused on the clock it shouted at him, “time for lunch.”

Sirius caught him before he could actually fall over. “Don’t worry Harry, it only does that the first time. I forget which of your ancestors it was that made it, apparently he thought it was funny though. According to the story your grandfather told me, his wife prevented him from making it do that more than once. Come on, I’ll show you around, and we can pick our rooms.”

The place was big enough, and Sirius so keen to share stories of things that he and James had done in various rooms, mostly pranks pulled. That the tour took almost five hours before they finally got to the bedrooms.

Harry didn’t mind at all though, this was the first time he had gotten to hear real stories about his dad, and he drank them in like a man lost in the desert drinks water. The room he chose, on Sirius recommendation, had been the one his dad had reserved for himself whenever they stayed here. Sirius took the one right next to it.

“Alright pup, one last stop before we go down to dinner. The Potter wand vault.”

“Wand vault?” Harry asked looking incredulous. What could Padfoot mean. Did he plan to take them to Gringotts after all? Or was it somewhere here in the lodge? That would make sense, he did say it was the last stop before dinner, indicating that it was on the tour.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Sirius started walking down the hall again. He hurried to keep up.

The wand vault turned out to be rather what it sounded like. Situated in the lowest level of the lodge, what would be called the basement in most homes, or the dungeons if they were at Hogwarts. And behind a thick, heavy door, which was carved all over with runes. It glowed slightly when Sirius had Harry place a hand on it. Then it swung open quietly to reveal a large chamber, filled with portraits. And under each portrait was a name plate, and a stand holding a wand.

“Greetings,” called the first portrait they passed. “Welcome to the family wand tomb.”

Harry looked up at the painting. It was an older man, his long silver beard and hair, glistening in the painted candle light of his portrait.

“Evening, Sir Rarius.” Sirius called and offered a polite bow.

“Sirius Black, you scoundrel. What brings you back here then?” The portrait said with mock disgust. Harry looked at the name plate under the portrait, sure enough the plate read only, Sir Rarius.

“My wand was lost. I was hoping I would be allowed to check the family wands for one that fits, until I can acquire a new one of my own.”

“Ah, a grave request.” The man suddenly developed a very severe expression and looked Sirius up and down for a moment. Narrowing his eyes, he nodded. “Very well, as James, the former head of house declared you a brother in all but blood, I, Sir Rarius of the line of Potter, do hereby grant thee permission to seek out a temporary wand from the tomb. Use it well, and return it in good condition. Oh and be sure to get it’s former holders consent before removing it from the stand. There are consequences if you don’t.”

As they walked through the halls of portraits, Harry looked around at all the different faces. He didn’t know any of these people, but he could be reasonably sure that they were all related to him. He did see a few that he sort of recognised, though it took a moment for him to figure out where he could have seen them before. None of these people were in his photo album, and He didn’t think he’d seen them anywhere at Hogwarts. But thinking of Hogwarts, an image sprung to mind. A vision seen in an old, dusty mirror. The mirror of Erised, which had shown him his family.

There, that old man, who had Harry’s knobbly knees. And that woman, who shared the exact line of Harry’s eyebrows. The more he looked the more he saw. His wild hair was shared by many of the family, though the color varied from person to person. And a few had the same, long thin fingers that Harry had. It struck him, that he was surrounded by his family, and he had to fight not to break down and cry.

However, there were two faces missing, two faces he realised he had been wanting to see, since the moment he saw the first portrait. “Sirius,” He looked up to the man who had been calmly strolling along, stopping every few feet to examine the wands under each portrait. When he stopped and looked at Harry, he cocked his head to one side, a bit like a dog would when confused. Harry had to suppress a giggle at the sight before he asked the question that was burning in his chest. “Are, are my parents wands…” He tried, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

Sirius seemed to understand though, he smiled, he tried to make it gentle, Harry could tell, but it came out more like a grimace. “I don’t know Harry. I was arrested before all of those arrangements could be made. And I don’t even know if anyone else knew where this was. We’ll have to look around and see.”

Nodding to each other, both a little choked up at the possibility of seeing the elder Potters, they continued the search.

Eventually, near the back of the vault, they found a portrait of a middle aged woman with dark hair, going steely about the edges. She had a sharp chin, and heavy lidded eyes, that smoldered as she looked at them. “Nephews.” She greeted as they approached.

Sirius stopped and gazed at the woman for a long moment, then gave a half bow and returned the greeting. “Aunt Doria.” Then he turned to Harry. “Harry, may I introduce the Lady Doria Potter nee Black, wife of Charluss Potter, your grandfather’s younger brother. Also my great aunt.”

Harry turned to the portrait and tried to imitate Sirius’ half bow. “Greetings,” he stole a quick glance at Sirius, “aunt Doria. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Doria raised an eyebrow, but smiled. “You could use some training nephew. While you seem to know the forms, you are unpolished. Who is seeing to your upbringing?” Her voice was soft, even gentle, despite her words. Harry felt heat rise in his cheeks as he contemplated her question. How could he tell this woman that he had been brought up by muggles, muggles who hated magic and everything to do with it, including him.

Sirius saved him from the explanation. “I am, sort of. He was with his mothers sister, who didn’t bother with manners, hers or anyone else’s. He came to me only a short time ago, I am working to correct the mistakes of the past.”

Doria sniffed, “well then. I wish you the best of luck. You will need assistance, try my wand nephew.” At Sirius wry look she smirked. “We gossip, there is very little else to do down here. Everyone knows why you are here. Go on, try it. If it works for you, I give you permission to carry it until such time as you have acquired a replacement.” As Sirius nodded and reached for the wand below her, she turned to Harry. “Harry is it?” At Harry’s nod she continued. “Well met young man. I heard that you were wondering about the placement of your parents in these halls. I regret to inform you that they were never brought here.” Harry’s face fell. “Buck up young man.” Doria snapped before his eyes had reached the floor though. “That is not to say that a portrait or two don’t exist somewhere, only that none have been brought here. Because of this, I would ask of you a favor. Find them, and bring their portraits here, along with their wands. They were good people, and deserve to be honored with a place in these halls. In return for this, I offer a service. Find my other portrait, it is in the Potter Manor. This one can not be moved. I will assist your godfather in teaching you manners and etiquette.”

“Godfather!?” Harry was stunned, he couldn’t have heard that right. Surely that would be something Sirius would have mentioned. He looked over at the man in question, who was looking at him a bit sheepishly.

“Forgot to mention that didn’t I?’ He said. “In my defense, we’ve been a bit busy, and it hasn’t even been a full day yet.”

Doria sniffed, again. “Well, perhaps you need a few lessons as well nephew.” Turning back to Harry she smiled warmly. “Yes child, Sirius was named your godfather. Your mother argued against the appointment, but your father was insistent. Fortunately, I believe my nephew is capable of performing his duty well, at least when he puts his mind to it. If you need any help keeping him in line though, tell me. I will share with you some information he would prefer not to be spread around.”

Sirius went pale. “Umm, maybe we should talk to someone else pup.” He said nervously.

It was too late though, Harry was intrigued. “Oh, like what?” He asked.

Doria smiled broadly and opened her mouth, but it was a different voice that spoke. “Silencio.” Came from beside and slightly above Harry.

Padfoot was pointing the wand at Doria, and looking even more sheepish than before. “Don’t tell anyone about that Harry. Terribly rude to silence your elders like that. Especially with their own wand.” He waved the wand, and Harry could see when the silencing effect fell. Doria had been scowling at Sirius, but when the effect ended she settled back into a smile.

“You see Harry. I have a few stories to share. Find my other portrait.”

“I will, and thank you aunt Doria.”

“You are most welcome child. Though it is your godfather who should thank me for the use of my wand. Especially considering that I have not revoked permission, given that he chose to hex me with it.”

“Sorry about that aunt Doria. And thank you for allowing me the use of your wand. It will be returned as soon as I have one of my own.”

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but there was a commotion around the vault as dozens of nearby portraits started scrambling around. After a moment one ran over into Dorias frame to speak with them.

“The wards have been tripped. The outer guards report men in red robes approaching. Muttering something about the brat.”

“They found us again?” Harry asked. “But how did they know we were here?”

“Are you in trouble lads?” The newcomer asked.

“Sort of, it’s a long story and we’re short on time.” Sirius replied. “Is the tunnel still open?”

“Of course lad, of course. You know the way, make sure you close the door when you leave. We wouldn’t want anything getting in.”

“Come on Harry, this way.” Sirius grabbed Harry’s arm and ran. Harry would have been dragged along behind him, if he hadn’t started running too.

The tunnel proved to be just as its name implied. A long low stone tunnel. Just tall enough that Sirius only had to bend a little. It seemed to go on forever, but eventually they came to a door at the far end. The door opened into a shallow cave hidden behind a waterfall.

Moving closer to the cascade of water, Harry could see a small pool with several animals gathered around it. “This is beautiful Padfoot.” He said reverently to the older man.

Stepping up next to him, Sirius smiled. “Yeah it is pup.” He ruffled Harry’s hair. “But, we aren’t clear yet. We need to get as far away as we can, and then we need to figure out how they found us. Grab on.” He held out his arm.

A twist and a wrench, and they were gone again.

They landed on a patch of dry ground overlooking a swamp. A single willow tree grew on the apex of the small hill. Nearby there was a pile of stone sticking out of the watery soil.

Looking around in confusion, Harry asked the obvious question. “Where are we?”

Sirius shot him a wry smile and pointed out past the pile of stones. “Black Fortress.” He said hollowly. “Thought we might give it a try.”

As he followed the line of Sirius arm, looking to where he pointed, he saw, hidden in the deep shadows of tall weeds, and the few surrounding trees, what looked to be the top of a massive tower, peeking up out the mire.

“Is it really?” Harry began to ask.

“Yep, no one’s been inside for over two hundred years.”

“You said, you and dad tried.”

“And we failed, couldn’t get any closer than this.” He pointed down to the bog. “Don’t know how deep it is, but once you go under, you don’t come back up. Not sure what made me think of it, other than that no one would ever think to look for us here. Not that it does us any good.”

“Still, it’s a good place to stop and think. If we can figure out how they found us..” Harry trailed off, not knowing how they could figure that out.

“Yeah, at least there’s that.” Sirius said, and trailed off in his own thoughts. They were still after him, which shouldn’t be surprising. He was the first person ever to escape from Azkaban. As his thoughts landed on the prison his mind swirled.

Peter, the rat, betrayed them all. James dead, Lilly dead, and Harry, poor little Harry, left all alone in the world. He must protect Harry. But then Hagrid was there, Hagrid took Harry, took him to Dumbledore. Harry was safe. So it was Sirius who was all alone. James was dead, Lilly was dead, Remus was gone, and Peter. Peter needed to die, he had to kill the traitor.

Harry had no idea how to solve this problem. Nothing in his classes had covered anything like this. None of the spells he had been taught could do anything to help here, and he doubted that they would ever be taught spells that would. If he wanted to learn how to deal with a situation like this he would need to find a way on his own. He doubted if the Hogwarts library would even have anything that could help, well, maybe in the restricted section.

But thinking of the library at Hogwarts was pointless, they couldn’t get there right now. And even if they could, that’s where Dumbledore was, and he would catch them instantly if they set foot on Hogwarts grounds. No they needed something else, a library of their own. For a moment he thought wistfully of the library they had looked in on at the Lodge. It had been huge, not quite as big as Hogwarts but still impressive. With a shake he forced that thought from his mind. They couldn’t get there for the moment. The place would be being watched, just like Sirius flat.

What if anywhere they went started being watched, what if they couldn’t go anywhere. But no, they hadn’t been bothered in the barn last night. So they could go somewhere, but where. What was different between the barn and the other places they had been. Oh and the moor, they hadn’t been found there either.

Turning to ask Sirius he was surprised to see the man striding down the hill, wand in hand, a murderous expression on his face. Wondering what was up he looked in the direction the man was walking, hoping to see whatever had caught his attention. But there was nothing there, just the swamp. Maybe it was something in the swamp, but then why would Sirius be going towards it. If it were in the water, then all they would need to do is stay on the hill, and it couldn’t reach them.

Then he was distracted, Sirius had plunged into the swamp and was striding away from the hill. Except he wasn’t making much progress. The ground under the water was apparently very muddy, and he was sinking. He was sinking fast.

Sirius wasn’t sure what was happening, one moment he had been thinking about how the Aurors had found them. Then his thoughts wandered to the prison, and now for some reason he was wet from the waist down, and his legs were struggling to move him. Where was he, what happened.

He shook his head to clear it and looked around. He was near Black Fortress, that was right. He had brought them here to think, it was far enough away from anything, and unused for so long, that no one would think to look for them here. It would give them a chance to catch their breath and figure out a place to go where they wouldn’t be looked for.

But then he had gotten distracted, and what was going on with his legs. He looked down. He was standing in the swamp, in the muddy water, that was sucking him down. Down where he would never come back from. Down where he would become nothing but a memory. And where would that leave Harry. Harry, where was Harry, was he already sunk. Was that what had brought him out here, he tried to turn, to look around but he could barely move, he was already too deep. “Harry!” He called half panicked now.

On the hill Harry was confused. Sirius had simply walked out into the muddy water without seeming to even notice where he was. After a few feet he stopped and seemed to look around himself, confusedly. Then he started whipping his head around, and called for him. What was going on, did he want Harry to join him. No, that was panic in the man's voice. He was scared, but why would he be scared, that made no sense. Unless, unless he was stuck and needed help. But how could Harry help him. Maybe he should call back, yes that would be a good idea.

“What Sirius?” He yelled, hoping that would be enough to calm the man down so they could figure things out.

The most blissful sound Sirius had ever heard penetrated the fog in his brain. Harry was alright, but where was he. Somewhere behind him, and since he couldn’t turn around that was all he had for now. But it was enough to know the boy wasn’t already sunk. “I can’t turn around. Are you okay?” He called, hoping to get a little more information.

“I’m fine Sirius. What’s going on, why did you walk out into the water. You told me that was a bad idea.”

“It’s a really bad idea pup. And I’m not sure why. The last thing I remember is pointing out the fortress. Then I shook my head and I was standing out here. Did something happen?”

That was odd, maybe there was something around that could affect their minds, Harry considered the question. Or maybe that was part of the defenses around the Fortress, it made you walk off and kill yourself if you got too close. “Nothing that I saw.” He called back. “Maybe it’s part of the protections you mentioned. If the fortress doesn’t want you here it makes you walk out into the swamp?”

“Yeah that makes sense. But I have a problem now. I’m stuck, I can’t get back out of here on my own. Is there a branch or something you can get to me to pull me out?”

Harry tossed his head around, looking for something, anything that might help. But there was nothing. Even the one tree was no help. It hadn’t dropped any branches recently, and he didn’t even have a knife on him to try to cut one free.

“I can’t find anything Sirius. What do I do?”

“Can you conjure a rope?”

“I can’t do magic out of school.” Harry slapped himself as he finished the statement. Of course he could now. He was already expelled, what difference would a little more magic make at this point. There was one problem though. He had left his wand in his trunk after he made it feather light. And the trunk was back at the lodge.

“This is kind of an emergency pup, I don’t think they’ll mind.”

Apparently Sirius had the same thought, but didn’t remember about the wand. “I left my wand in my trunk Sirius, and it’s still at the lodge.”

“Oh, that’s different then. Okay, just a second.” Sirius pulled out his own wand and conjured a length of rope. He coiled it up and holding tight to one end, he tossed the other over his shoulder as much towards Harry as he could. “Alright, can you grab that? Did it get close enough?”

It had, Harry actually managed to catch it, go seeker reflexes. “Yeah, I’ve got it Sirius.” And began to pull.

Several long moments of pulling and dragging, through wet muck finally got Sirius back to dry ground. Where the two lay panting from the exertion.

“Let’s try not to do that again, what do you say Padfoot.”

“I agree pup, no more swimming in swamps for me. We should probably get away from here though, just to be sure.”

“Agreed, where do we go next?”

“I’m not,”

Sirius was cut off by a voice crying across the swamp. “Harry Potter, where are you? Send up a signal, we are here to help.”

“Again.” Harry blurted. “How did they?”

But Sirius was rising to his feet, wand in hand, ready to defend his godson.

“Sirius,” Harry hissed, “Sirius, no. Get down, we need to leave.”

Sirius looked down and blinked. Then he stopped, he looked at his wand, then at Harry, then back to the wand. “Harry, I think I know how their finding us. We should go, here grab hold.”

“Thank you Sirius.” Harry replied as he took hold of the man’s arm.

The men sent to locate Harry Potter heard a loud crack, and were suddenly standing alone in a swamp.

Harry and Sirius landed in a clearing in a forest.

Stumbling a little Harry caught himself on the trunk of an old oak tree. “So where are we now?” He asked as he rubbed at his temple.

Sirius was looking around wistfully. “Forbidden forest, near Hogwarts.” He said. “This is one of the places we used to run with Mooney.”

“Hogwarts,” Harry nearly shouted, catching the reaction and keeping it to a loud statement. “Sirius are you crazy? They’ll definitely be looking here.”

“Calm down Harry. We’re pretty deep in the forest here, outside of the ward scheme. No one will have noticed our arrival, and as long as we don’t stay too long, we’ll be fine. Besides, if I’m right, then we can figure out a place to go that they won’t find us again.”

Trying to calm his racing heart Harry looked his godfather over. The man was smiling, still gazing dreamily around the clearing. For a moment he wondered who Mooney was, but he could figure that out later. “Okay, so what did you figure out?”

“Hmm, oh right.” Sirius shook his head to clear it of whatever daydream he had been stuck in and turned to Harry. “The trace.”

“What’s the trace?”

“The trace is how they find underage magic. It’s something the Founders did, or possibly Merlin. There are different stories on how it came about. But nowadays the Ministry uses it to track underage magic. Basically it records any magic done within, I think, about a hundred feet of any underage magical.”

“So basically any time either of us does magic, we’re telling them exactly where we are.” Harry was looking horrified.

“Not quite exactly, but close enough for them to narrow it down. And come running. Which is why they didn’t find us at the barn, or the moor. We didn’t do any magic there, and they didn’t find us at the swamp until I conjured rope.”

“But then, you need to go, leave me here. I can find my way to the school. Maybe Professor Dumbledore can help me, like he did for Hagrid.”

Harry was building himself up into a real panic, but before he got there he found himself wrapped in a pair of long, stringy arms. “Calm down Harry, calm down. I’m not going anywhere without you. And the trace is really easy to beat. Calm down.”

There was a thudding noise in Harry’s ears, nearly drowning out anything else. He could barely hear what Sirius was saying, but he could feel, large hands were rubbing his back in circles. It was oddly soothing, something he had never felt before. A memory of the one time he had angered his uncle enough to get the belt out swam into his mind. Feeling his heart rate rapidly increase he pushed the memory away.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours. Wrapped in a close embrace. The smaller alternately huffing great dragging breaths, and holding in panic. The older simply holding on tight to the last link he had left to the friends he had lost, whispering words of comfort.

Eventually Harry calmed enough to loosen his grip on the older man. “What are we gonna do Padfoot? We can’t use magic, and we can’t go out in public. I guess we can have Dobby do things for us, but..” He trailed off, not sure what else to say on the subject.

“Simple Harry. The trace is active everywhere in the UK. So we just leave the UK. Although, we don’t actually have to leave completely. One of the limitations of magic is that it doesn’t cross running water very well. Just a mile out from the shoreline and the trace doesn’t work. And I just happen to know a place that is otherwise unknown that is also far enough out to beat the trace. Yet still close enough that we can apparate there.”

Harry gazed up at him in near awe. “How..?” Again he trailed off, not sure what exactly he wanted to ask.

“After school, you’re dad and I bought the place together. We wanted somewhere we could run with Mooney on the moon nights. Somewhere we could run free, but with no chance of Mooney getting loose. So we bought an island. It’s not a grand one, less than a mile square, but it’s far enough out that even a werewolf wouldn’t try swimming back to the mainland. Throw a few muggle repelling wards up, make the place unplottable and we had a place to run under the moon in relative safety.”

“That’s brilliant!” Harry cried, then he recalled the reason for the purchase. “Wait, you said a werewolf?”

“Yeah, Mooney is a werewolf.” Sirius had a sad expression now. “He was one of our best friends at Hogwarts. He was the reason your dad and I became animagus. Because a werewolf won’t attack an animal, not even a wizard in animal form. So as long as we stayed in our animal forms, we could stay with him during the full moon.”

“But if you bought it for him, won’t he be out there?”

“I doubt it pup. Mooney always hated any kind of charity, and he would see using Refuge without us as a form of charity. He didn’t actually own the place you see.”

“But it would still be a risk.”

“A little, but one wizard is easier to deal with if we have to than a dozen. And we might be able to convince Mooney not to turn us in.”

“Okay.” Harry wasn't sure if he was convinced, but he didn’t have any other ideas, and bouncing around from place to place was getting annoying, and cold. Plus it was getting late and they hadn’t eaten since breakfast. So he agreed, at least for now. He’d get a good look at the island before he decided if he wanted to argue any more.

And so they left the little clearing in the forbidden forest, to head to an island called Refuge.


	4. Chapter 4

Sunday, 7 July

Harry was woken by the sun.

When they arrived on the island, they looked around. Sirius for any changes, Harry for the first time.

It was exactly as Sirius had described. Small, as in barely a ten minute walk from one side to the other. At least it was mostly grassy with a few trees. And only the north beach was rocky. The other three were one continuous sandy shoreline.

Honestly if it weren’t so small that even putting one small house on it would almost be too much, he would have been surprised that some rich recluse hadn’t bought it for a getaway location.

They’d called Dobby shortly after arriving and had him bring dinner and a couple of hammocks, which they hung just off the beach. Then they sacked out just after dinner.

Or rather, Sirius sacked out. Harry tried, he really did, but there were so many things rushing through his head that he ended up lying awake until early morning.

And now there was sun in his eyes, forcing him awake. Forcing him to face the rest of his life.

Was this to be it? Lounging on a beach, with a man he barely knew. Having Dobby bring them meals when they got hungry. Not that it sounded terrible, but he thought, after a few days, it might get boring.

Next to him Sirius stretched. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, then blinked around.

“Morning pup. For a moment there I thought it had all been a dream.” He smiled tiredly. “Did you sleep alright?”

Harry tried to smile back, but it felt forced. “A little. Sun woke me up though.”

“Yeah me too. Guess we’ll have to do something about that won’t we?”

“Like what?”

“Well, I thought we’d build a house.”

Harry blinked at the obviously insane man who had replaced his godfather while he slept. “Build a house.” He said incredulously.

Sirius had the audacity to smile at him, broadly this time, with real humor. “Yeah, your dad and I always planned to. But between the war, and hiding, we never had time. We learned how though. Even learned how to include muggle appliances, for Lilly. She never wanted to go without the tele again, after Hogwarts, oh and music. She said having to give up music at Hogwarts was the worst thing about the school, and almost made her decide not to go, every year. So when we were hashing out ideas for the place we’d build here, we included them.”

Harry pointedly looked around the beach, and through the trees, where the opposite shore would have been visible without them. “You intended to build a house, here?” The sarcasm was nearly dripping from his lips.

Sirius smiled a little sadly. “We were going to rent it to Remus, for a galleon a year. With the proviso that we could come stay whenever we felt like it. Add a dock to the beach, and we could go fishing anytime we wanted, even have a boat.”

And Harry got it. Sirius wanted to build the house he had dreamed of with his best friend. And maybe in doing so, in being here, on this island that they had shared. He might have a chance to reconnect with another. And slowly, he nodded. “Okay, but you’ll have to teach me how. I don’t think they cover that at Hogwarts until next year.”

“Ha.” Sirius barked out a laugh. “James and I had to look up the spells on our own. Most of what they teach at Hogwarts is theory, so you can understand what you’re looking at when you look up spells later. But don’t worry, I can explain anything you need, and I’ll be happy to teach you the spells.”

Harry chuckled at Sirius’ description of Hogwarts curriculum, it was pretty accurate based on his experience so far. “Well then, what are we waiting for? What do we need to start?”

“Hahaha.” Sirius barked again. “Good enthusiasm. Breakfast I think. Dobby.”

“Puppy calls for Dobby.” The elf said, stepping from behind a tree. “What can Dobby be doing for Puppy?”

“Did you call me Puppy, Dobby?” Sirius asked, an incredulous look on his face. At Dobby’s cautious nod he threw his head back and laughed so hard he rolled out of the hammock. “That..is..the..most..awesome..thing..ever.” He managed to bark out in between guffaws. “Harry, you are in charge of picking all the house elves ever.”

Harry and Dobby exchanged dubious looks as Sirius picked himself up off the ground.

Leaning on a tree for support, Sirius caught Dobby’s eye. “Okay, first we need some breakfast. Once that’s covered, we need Harry’s trunk. He left it at the lodge. Do you know where Potter Lodge is? In Sherwood.”

Dobby nodded cheerfully. “Oh yes, Dobby knows. Dobby will get Master Harry’s trunk.” And before anyone could say something, the elf popped away. But before they could comment on that, he was back, trunk in hand. He set the trunk next to Harry’s hammock and turned back to Sirius. “Now breakfast, Dobby be getting.” And he popped away again.

Sirius shook his head. “Elves, they take some getting used to. Their always doing things like that. But then that’s part of what makes them useful.”

Harry blinked, he’d been a little stunned by the rapid fire nature of Dobby’s arrivals, and departures. “Yeah, are we sending him to get the supplies we need?”

“We will, as soon as we decide on what we need. First, we need to decide where we’re going to build. Then we can determine if we need to build a foundation, or if the bedrock is close enough to the surface to be used as one. So, up we get, where would you like to build our new home?”

Harry rolled his eyes as he rolled himself out of the hammock. Where do I want to build a home he asks. Home, the thought sticks in his mind. I’ve never really had a home. Unless you count Hogwarts. And somehow, I don’t think most people would. I could certainly never call Privet Drive home. And while I was welcome at the Burrow, it could never be home. Hogwarts, it was the first place I felt welcome. Even with all the problems I had there, and the danger I was in, it still felt better to be there than anywhere else. How am I supposed to know where to build a home, when I don’t even know what a home is.

As Harry rolled himself out of the hammock, Sirius was sure he had seen the boys eyes begin to roll. Then he just stood there for a moment, shoulders shaking. At first Sirius thought he had started laughing. It was kind of a good feeling, he was laughing at Sirius. Which meant he was comfortable, and that Sirius could still tell a good joke, at least sometimes.

But then the most horrifying sound Sirius had ever heard came from the boy. He was sobbing, quietly, but still, sobbing. Unsure of what to do he rushed over and pulled Harry into his arms. “Shh,” he tried to recall what Mr. Potter had done for him the one time he had caught Sirius in a state like this. Recalling the moment, he stood, drawing Harry into his arms and sat on the hammock, allowing it to rock gently back and forth. Stroking one hand up and down Harry’s back he started to hum softly.

On the one hand, he knew his voice was deep, and soothing. Many people had commented on it over the years. Even Mooney had once said that Sirius voice was one of the best things to hear in the morning after a full moon. On the other hand, he also knew that he couldn’t carry a tune if it had a handle. He had tried singing a few times, and always gotten the same response. From James’, “stop that Padfoot, you’ll make my ears bleed” to Mcdonalds “dear god what is that racket” which she had pronounced at their impromptu we got through O.W.L.’s party fifth year.

Sirius knew he was a horrible singer, and his humming wasn’t much better. It was a calculated risk though. It would either send Harry running for the hills, or draw him out of whatever thoughts were making him break down. At least long enough to tell Sirius off for making such a racket. He was betting on the latter.

Harry wasn’t sure when he had started crying. Though he had been doing that a lot in the last couple of days, he really needed to get that under control. He also wasn’t sure when, or how, he had found his way into Padfoots lap. At least, he hoped it was Padfoot’s lap, if it wasn’t he might have even bigger problems. But he was sure that the awful noise coming from somewhere above him needed to stop.

It was terrible, like someone was strangling a cat, while holding it half underwater, and humming. Opening his eyes he looked up, determined to find the source of this pitiful sound and put an end to its suffering. Only to come face to face with a grinning godfather who was unmistakably the source of that horrifying sound.

As he opened his mouth to say something, anything to make it stop, Sirius smiled even wider, and thankfully stopped making the noise. “Padfoot, what animal did you step on to make a noise like that?” As the man opened his mouth Harry held up a hand. “No, don’t tell me. Just promise me that you’ll never do it again. Whatever it was, it was suffering, badly. If you do it again, I fear I will have to put the poor thing out of its misery.” Somehow he managed to say it in a dry, almost offhand tone.

It wasn’t possible, it simply wasn’t possible, and yet it was happening. Sirius smile was growing wider. In a moment he was chuckling, then snorting. Harry couldn’t help it, his own lips were twitching upward in amusement.

Then they were picking each other up off the ground, as Sirius had laughed so hard he had fallen out of the hammock, again. And this time, with Harry on his lap, they had both landed hard. Though to the man’s credit he had twisted his body so that he took the brunt of the impact.

“Alright pup. Now we’re both feeling better, do you want to tell me what that was about?”

More than anything, at that moment, Harry wanted to talk about something else. He really did, but something about the way Sirius asked, the tone of his voice, the tilt of his head, Harry wasn’t sure. But something about it, made Harry want to confide in his godfather.

“I, I’ve never had a home. I don’t know how to, to pick a place for one.” He managed to get out, face glowing as he stared at his feet.

“Oh,” Sirius sounded like he hadn’t considered that possibility, which all things considered, he probably hadn’t. “Well, that’s easy to fix.”

Harry looked up sharply. Surely the man didn’t think it could be a simple matter to learn something that important.

“Come on.” Sirius said briskly, waving an arm and taking off down the beach. As Harry caught up, he continued. “So, selecting a location is as simple as, where do I like the view.” And he threw an arm out to encompass the horizon. “There are a few different angles you can go from, but personally, I like to start with the deck. It’s one of the places where we’ll end up spending a lot of time, so it’s important to make sure the view there is compatible. Also, with magic, we can make the view inside practically whatever we want. But the deck, it’s view is whatever is outside, so we can’t really change that. Not without a lot more magic than is practical. So, look around, what do you think you’d be happiest to have in view whenever you’re sitting out to relax?”

Okay, Harry thought, going from that perspective, maybe it would be easy to make that kind of decision. Maybe this wouldn’t be as difficult as he thought at first. Yeah, he could do this. As he thought more about it, he began to get excited. In a way this was a new adventure. One he could share with his godfather. With that thought burning in his mind like a great warm hearthfire he turned to survey the beach.

If they set the house up so that the deck was facing east, they would have morning sun, but the view would be of empty ocean, he didn’t really like that. Of course, if they set it up so they were facing west, they could just make out the mainland, and some of the shipping traffic, which wasn’t exactly pleasant to watch. South was a few more rocky outcroppings, little more than dots peeking above the water, but as he looked out that way, he saw a pod of dolphins dancing on the waves. He’d heard once in primary school, that sailors consider dolphins good luck, and that settled him.

“There.” He said, pointing to the dolphins. Let’s set the deck up facing that way.

Sirius smiled. “See pup, easy. All you have to do is think about what you want, instead of whatever is trying to hold you back. Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to get a bike out here.”

And somehow that was funny.

Dobby returned with breakfast before they could discuss plans any further. Which turned out to be good timing, as both Harry and Sirius’ bellies began to rumble just as they were sitting down to eat.

Looking a little sheepish, Harry invited Dobby to join them, and apologised for having forgotten to previously. That resulted in a short argument about whether house elves were allowed at the breakfast table, which Harry won by pointing out they were not sitting at a table at all.

He didn’t think he had won completely, yet, but he had made a start on changing Dobby’s view of how things were supposed to work, and maybe Sirius’ a little too.

The remainder of the morning was spent looking around the southern shore of the island, choosing the future location of their new home.

By the time they had selected the spot, the word had a new meaning for Harry. It wasn’t simply a place to live, or a place where he was welcome. It was warmth, a place to share, a place of comfort, and support. It was, most importantly he thought, the place they would build together.

“So, the first thing we need to do, now that we have our location selected. Is to determine the depth of the bedrock.” Sirius was explaining. They stood next to the area they had marked out with twine. It was nearly centered on the southern shore, right between two tall yew trees.

The small forest on the island was interesting. Only about fifty trees in total, the majority of which were oak and sycamore, with several yew and pine, and a few hawthorn and holly. Sirius said they had done a survey when they first bought the island, and none of them were wand quality. But that could change over time, and they would have to do a new survey to see if any of them had become wand quality since the last time he had been here.

“Hey, pup.” Sirius called, jarring Harry from his thoughts. “Pay attention now, this is important.” It was indeed, important. Sirius had explained as they ate breakfast, how the foundation would affect how sturdy the house was. Which in turn would determine how long it would last, how well it would stand up to storms, and even how often they would have to redo the protections they put around the house. While the muggle repelling and unplottable enchantments on the island had been set into the stones under it. Any protections they put on the house would have to be laid into the foundation. So, in short, Harry really did need to pay attention to what Sirius was saying. There was just so much to think about, that his mind kept straying.

Due to Sirius having to drag Harry back on topic every couple of minutes, the process of discovering how deep the bedrock was, ended up taking a lot longer than it should have. Eventually though they got around to the actual spell, and learned that it was six feet down. After some discussion they decided to go ahead and build their foundation on it though. They wanted a basement to serve as a combination wine and fruit cellar anyway, so in the long run it would work out well. Plus by using the bedrock, they would get the advantage of only having to rework their protections for the house every fifty years. So unless they wanted to change, remove, or add something to the scheme, they could set them and not have to worry about them for a long time.

Thus, Dobby was sent out for the first set of supplies. Shovels, brooms, a couple wheelbarrows, and most importantly, magical foundation stones. Specially prepared to magically match the surrounding stone, and mold to the existing foundation so there would be no gaps, without carving away the existing stone, and still leaving a flat surface to work from.

As that would require the rest of the day for Dobby to gather everything, Harry and Sirius set about arranging their camp site. Which was where they would be living until the house was complete. Towards that end, they had Dobby return to the Lodge one more time to grab a wizarding tent from the attic.

“So Padfoot, you mentioned why you and my dad became animagi.” Harry said later that evening as they were enjoying dinner. Dobby had picked up fresh fish in the market and baked them over the fire, with carrots and peas. “But, I’m wondering how you did it?” He turned his voice up at the end to make it a question.

Sirius looked up at him over his bowl, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Why do you ask pup? Thinking of trying it yourself?”

Harry felt his face grow warm, and was thankful for the firelight, which should make it hard to tell he was blushing. “Well, I mean, it would be useful. Especially if Mooney shows up for the full moon.”

“Ha.” Sirius threw his head back and barked out a laugh. “Nicely said Harry.” He leaned back, resting against a tree and smirked. “Well, there are a few ways to go about it. When we did it, we went with the first one we found and didn’t bother looking at any others until much later. Too bad for us. The method we chose, is the hardest, and the longest. After we graduated we found a method that would have worked in half the time it took us. And just before your parents went into hiding, Remus said he found a method that would have had us changing forms by the end of the summer. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to tell us what it was, or how it worked before everything happened. Though I do recall, at the time, he was looking into native american magics. Something about a rumour he heard about them being able to cure lycanthropy.”

Lycanthropy, that was what the werewolf curse was sometimes called. So, Remus must also be Mooney. Unless Sirius had two werewolf friends, which didn’t seem likely. Harry filed that information away for later. “Can we look into that?” He asked.

“Sure, we’d need to get a hold of the books though. Obviously we can’t go to Mooney. Which means sending Dobby out to get them. And without titles it’ll take longer, and he might grab the wrong thing. Unless we send him to the U.S. and even then there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to get the books we need. Or that Remus was right about the method. Still, if you want to try, worst case it isn’t what we thought, and you can use one of the other methods.”

“Umm, yeah, okay. We can have Dobby start looking in the morning, while we’re working on the foundation. We won’t need him for that anyway, and it’s better than sitting around being bored. Right Dobby?” He turned to address the house elf.

“That’s right master Harry Potter sir. Dobby hates sitting around being useless. Dobby wants work.”

“Well then, that’s settled. After breakfast tomorrow, I want you to track down any books you can find for sale on native american magics. Specifically on the animagus transformation, so keep looking until you find those, or have checked every bookstore in magical britain. But go ahead and grab copies of the others as well. Never know, we might find something else useful too.”

Dobby smiled widely and turned to climb into his own little hammock that Harry had insisted he hang next to his and Sirius’.

“I think he’s got the right idea pup. Time to get some shuteye.”


	5. Chapter 5

Monday, 8 July

“Now, do you know how to levitate things to where you want them to go?” Sirius asked looking Harry over critically. “I seem to recall that our first year exam with Flitwick was to make a watermelon dance, what about you?”

Harry stuck his chin out and tried not to look self-conscious. “Pineapples, and yes.”

“Good.” Sirius was beaming now. “Then that’s all we have to do. Now we have this nice deep hole.”

“You mean the hole you just made with a blasting curse?”

“I forgot the digging spell.”

“And the shovels.” Harry pointed to where the mentioned tools were leaning against a nearby boulder.

“Those are for later.” Sirius flapped his hand dismissively. “The point is that we have this lovely hole that goes down to the bedrock, and now we need to build our foundation on top of it. So, what we do is,” he pointed his wand at one of the magical foundation stones Dobby had brought, which rose into the air and down into the hole. “They will fill in the gaps between themselves, but only within an inch, so get them as close together as you can. And start at the lowest level of the bedrock.” He pointed to where the stone dipped downward toward the shore. “It will level itself with each other, it just has some limitations, so it’s best to start at the lowest level to avoid any issues.”

After a moment, Harry joined, and soon they had a ballet of stones going. They managed to get a rhythm to their work after only a few minutes, so that as one stone was being placed another was being lifted. Back and forth.

The sun rose as they worked. They had started just after sun up, and breakfast. Sending Dobby out to hunt for books, they headed for the spot they had marked out. Once there, Sirius had begun to explain the painstaking process while digging out the foundation. Then he got frustrated himself, when he couldn’t remember the spells for digging, and not wanting to deal with the back breaking nature of physically digging, he pulled his wand and blasted out most of the hole.

They did still have to pause a few times as they placed stones in order to dig out a spot where dirt and sand had fallen back in, but by lunchtime, the foundation and cellar were complete.

As they headed back to their campsite, Harry was feeling accomplished, and Sirius was talking.

“Now, if we were muggles, this part would have taken anywhere up to two weeks, depending on several factors, like weather, availability of material, what tools we were using, etc. Fortunately we have magic to do three quarters of the work for us.” He pointed to a pile of timber. “After lunch we can get started on the next step. Which is, fittingly enough, steps.”

Harry shot the man a look.

“Stairs Harry. We’ll need to build the stairs for the cellar.” He chuckled as he saw understanding spread across Harry’s face. “Also, we need to fill in the open area around the cellar and foundation.”

“Okay, that makes sense. But, where did that come from?” Harry asked, pointing to the pile of timber.

“Oh, well I figured we might actually need it today. So I gave Dobby a list and told him to get that first, before his hunting trip. I also told him not to worry about lunch if he hadn’t found what he was after first.”

“Good thinking Padfoot. Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome pup.”

Lunch was a smattering of leftovers that they heated over a fire and tore into with gusto. As they waited for the food to warm, they chatted about the weather, and what they might expect it to do in the next few days. Trying to plan out their arrangements.

When the food was ready though, they fell silent as they ate. Both turning to their own thoughts.

The hallway was dark. Light filtered in from a window high on one wall, barely illuminating the floor, which was carpeted in some dark color. The walls, he could make out, more as a lack of open space than from sight, though he could just barely make out the frames of paintings hung at head height.

Dust filled the air, tickling his nose as he walked. What is this place he wondered, waving a hand before his face to clear the air.

Reaching the end of the hall he opened the doors which blocked it off from the rest of the house. Stepping through he found himself in an enormous open chamber. He could tell it was large, from the echoing quality of the few sounds he made. Like the hallway, the space was dark, he could just make out a massive chandelier hanging above him in what he assumed was the center of the space.

He reached for his wand, thinking to cast a light, but found it missing. He would need to find a window, or an exterior door, hopefully it would be bright enough outside to get some light in here.

As he moved forward, he found a banister, and realised he was on the second floor of the house, he would need to find the stairs. Though if he was right in his guess, this was an entrance hall, which meant there should be stairs somewhere nearby.

Yes, just a few steps away, a grand staircase. He headed down. The main floor echoed even louder, the floor was marble, his heels clicked loudly upon it as he walked. Most places with a room like this, the front door would be almost directly in line with the staircase, so if he just headed straight forward he should find, ouch. That was a wall. He followed the wall until he found the entryway, and with it, the door.

Throwing the door open wide he smiled as fresh sunlight poured into the house. For a moment he stood there, eyes closed soaking up the light. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was an overgrown garden. Bushes, long since left to their own devices, flower beds, bursting with weeds, and the few trees now hung limp and faded.

He took a step forward and turned to look at the house. The walls were a faded, mottled brown, overgrown with ivy and clinging vines. Most of the many windows were broken, with thick vines filling up the little space they offered. Those windows which weren’t broken, were dark, as though covered with thick curtains.

Slowly he reached up to cover his face with one long hand. The place was badly in need of repair. It would be a lot of work, many long hours of cleaning and sorting. But one thing Sirius Black was not, was afraid of this place. He had built this place himself, and he would never fear it. Not even the darkest corners where he had hidden things he didn’t like to think about.

No, he would tackle this job, just as he had others. And he would prevail, he would.

“Padfoot.” He would apparently be startled out of his inner reflections by his godson. “Padfoot, talk to me. Are you okay? Please Padfoot, I don’t know what to do.” He was being shaken, maybe he should open his eyes.

“Harry, Harry it’s okay. What’s wrong, what happened?” He looked around, but nothing seemed out of order. What could have the boy in such a state. Harry was half panicked, eyes wild, as he searched Sirius’ face. He must have been worried, how long was I lost in my own head?

It took a moment to calm Harry down, then a moment more to get the story out of him. “I asked if you were ready to get back to work. You didn’t say anything. So I asked if you wanted to do something else for a bit. You didn’t say anything. Then a bird pooped on your shoulder and you didn’t notice. I just said your name a few times, and you didn’t respond at all. Then I was yelling, and shaking, but you didn’t do anything.” He was nearly breaking down again.

Scooping the boy into his arms, Sirius started rocking back and forth. “I’m sorry Harry, I’m sorry. I slipped into my mind palace. Not entirely sure how I managed it, I haven’t been able to do that for years. I got lost for a bit, and had to find my way back out.”

Fortunately there were no tears this time, only a dreadful shaking and shuddering. Then at last Harry got himself under control again. With a last squeeze of his poor worried godfather, Harry let go and moved to sit across from the man again. And at last could ask a question that had been bugging ever since he heard the phrase. “Mind Palace?”

Sirius chuckled wryly. “I thought you might ask about that. And I’m glad you did. It’s something your mom taught us, just after we left Hogwarts. It’s a method of organising your mind, so you can more easily remember things. Apparently she learned it when she was fifteen. Said it helped her a lot at school, because she could find things in her head more easily. Apparently it made tests a breeze. I can teach you if want, it isn’t terribly difficult, just takes some time.”

“My mom did it?” Harry asked quietly, picking at some sand that had accumulated on his trousers.

Sirius smiled, a little sadly, a little warm. “Yeah, she did.”

Lifting his head, a look of steely determination in his eyes, Harry nodded. “Then I will too.”

“Excellent, it might help me clean mine out too. I haven’t been able to get into it properly since, well. It’s a mess now, and helping you build yours at least will give me a distraction while I get mine cleaned back out.” Sirius smiled warmly now, at his godson. It was so much easier to smile, with Harry here. “We’ll get started on that this evening, after we finish the cellar.”

For an instant, Harry’s face fell, and Sirius nearly relented, but then he looked up, that same look of determination in his eyes. “Yeah, let’s get that done. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can move in.”

And that, apparently was all that was needed to brighten Sirius Black’s mood. The thought of sharing a home with his godson. Soon the two were walking back to the foundation they had laid that morning, ready to begin work on a staircase, and the walls in the cellar.

As evening approached they returned to camp, ready for dinner. Sirius formulating how he would go about teaching Harry how to build a mind palace.

“Okay, so, mind palace.” Sirius said as they set aside the dinner dishes. “It does take some time, but less than you might think. The process is quite simple. You build a house in your mind, then put your memories in to it, wherever you find appropriate, and then you’ll always be able to find whatever memory you want.”

“That sounds easy.” Harry said, very slowly, as though he was rolling the idea around in his head.

“Yeah, it sounds easy.’ Sirius winked. “And really, building the house is actually pretty fast once you get it going. I found it easiest to start from a room and work my way outward. For example, start at the centerpiece. It may not actually be at the center of the house when your done, but, the kitchen is the central focus of any well designed home.”

The dog man stretched and leaned back against a tree. “Come here.” He saved waving. When Harry had joined him and was also leaning against the tree he went on. “Close your eyes, and picture the perfect kitchen. It might be big, or small, it could have all old style wood, or be as modern as you like. This is your kitchen in your house. Built exactly as you want it to be in your head. No one else will ever have the same access as you, so make it whatever you think is the best kind of kitchen.” He fell silent there, giving Harry time to think about his kitchen. As he did, he considered his own kitchen.

It was the old world style, with a few more modern conveniences. They certainly didn’t have electric toasters a hundred years ago, he thought as he examined the toaster he had added after a trip to the muggle world had showed him many new things.

“Okay, got your kitchen?” He asked as he pulled himself out of his contemplation. Time enough to clean his own house later, right now he was helping Harry begin to build. “Dining room next. What kind of table is there, do the chairs match? Is it part of the kitchen, or connected? Or is it down the hall? What are the walls made of?” Again he fell silent, allowing the boy to consider his options. After a minute Harry grunted. “Got it designed or do you need an opinion?”

“I’m trying to decide on decorations. Like, should I put a chandelier over the table or not? Maybe add some paintings to the walls?”

“Ah, not yet. That comes later. So moving on, the family room, bedroom or rooms. And there you have your house.”

“Kind of small, but then I guess it is just for me.”

“True, but you can always add to it if you need. For example, mine is enormous. Designed after an old manor house, with a grand sweeping staircase in the entry hall. The kitchens I modelled off of Hogwarts kitchens, but with human proportions rather than house elf, and I added some modern amenities. The point is to have a place you find comfortable, and just big enough to hold all your memories.”

“Right memories, how do I do that?”

“That is your decorations. So going to your dining room, say you want to add a painting to the wall. Select a memory that fits in that room, then a painting that fits the memory, and hang the painting. Connect a feeling, an emotion to the painting to bind it, both to the room and the memory it represents. Then any time you want to relive that memory, you simply go into your dining room, and look at, or touch the painting and voila.”

“Wow, that’s really cool.” Harry said, a smile in his voice. “Umm, I think I’ll go with touch though. If I set it to play the memory every time I look at it, I’d get lost in memories every time I went looking for one.”

Sirius chuckled. “Your dad made that mistake. He had to go back and rebuild the whole thing later.”

“And you were gonna let me do that. You suck.” Sirius felt a handful of sand hit him in the side, and he chuckled.

“Some lessons are best learned by doing. I said the same thing you did when Lilly described the idea to us. But James still went ahead with making his play when he looked at them. If you made the same mistake, you’d learn, eventually. But nothing I could have said would have deterred you, unless you’re better at listening to others than your dad was.”

Another clump of sand hit him, but it was accompanied by Harry’s laugh. “Okay, so how do I know which memories to put where?”

“That is entirely up to you. I sort them by room. For example, if I’m putting away a memory of say, a food fight. It goes in the dining room. But the memory of making the meal that resulted in the fight, goes into the kitchen. Meanwhile the research that went into the prank that started the fight, that goes in my library. You see?”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll do that too. Unless, do you know how my dad did it? Or mom?”

“I followed your mom’s example, she did the same. James never told us how he sorted his memories.”

“Okay, definitely doing it like mom.” Sirius smiled. “Any recommendations on what kind of images to use for representing a memory then?”

“Hmm, well. Anything works really, so long as you can make the connection between the item and the memory. For example I have a drawing room in which I placed all the memories of learning to become an animagus. It’s full of animal statues, each of which is a particular memory of that time. On the other hand, all of my cooking memories are in the cookbook in my kitchen, each one a separate page.”

“That’s cool, I like that. So I could use like, a painting of a quidditch team to represent memories of flying, or a tea cup for memories of sharing tea with a friend. But then if there’s something I want to make less obvious, I could sort of hide it, by connecting it to an image that’s less obvious. Say a suit of armor to represent learning the shield charm?”

The lilt of Harry’s voice, made the last sentence a question, and Sirius was quick to answer. “You’re getting ahead of me Harry. Occlumency comes later.”

“Occlu-what?” The boy asked.

“Occlumency. It’s a means of protecting your mind from various forms of penetration. There are a few different arts someone can use to enter your mind. Legilimency is the most commonly practiced, as it’s the most versatile. Technically, building a mind palace makes you more vulnerable to it, as well as most other forms of penetration. Since it organises what would normally be a mass of tangled images into a coherent form. However, occlumency takes years to learn properly, or at least it does normally. Your dad and I were both taught from a young age, and we weren’t actually good at it until after Hogwarts. Your mom though, hadn’t heard of it until we mentioned it to her when she started teaching us about the mind palace. She learned in six months, apparently the organization that building the mind palace grants made learning a lot easier. Plus she was already familiar with working with her mind, which made it easier as well. So, you’ll build your palace first, sorry, your house, then I’ll teach you what I can of occlumency.”

“Okay.” It sounded like Harry had added a little bounce as he spoke, but as Sirius was still unwilling to open his eyes, he couldn’t be sure.

The two of them fell quiet after that, each working in their minds to build, or in Sirius case, clean, their internal houses. The silence was not complete though. The waves brushing the shore kept up a quiet susurration, Dobby made small noises as he went about the camp cleaning, the trees swayed in the ocean breeze, and a few crickets sang their evening song.


	6. Chapter 6

Tuesday, 9 July

Breakfast was rather simple this morning. Eggs and toast. Dobby was tired, he had spent most of the previous day hunting down books on native american magic, and then got it into his head that he should check all the Black and Potter libraries, the ones still standing, for any references they might hold. He had not managed to return to the island until late in the night, and had nearly overslept.

Harry had tried to calm the little guy, but it had not gone well, and now the elf was off gathering more building materials. He was muttering to himself, that he deserved to be punished for making such a lack luster breakfast for his master. Knowing there was nothing he could do, at least until the elf returned, Harry turned his attention to other things.

“So, how long does it take to sort memories?” He asked when Sirius set his plate down.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. “Depends on how many memories you have to sort. And how long you take with each one. In your case, unless you get caught up in them I’d wager about a week, if you spend around an hour every day working on it.”

Harry looked a little sceptical at this, but pushed ahead anyway. “And it’ll really improve my memory?”

“Did for me, your dad too. You should start to notice a difference when you get around half of your memories sorted. But when you get them all done, you should notice a significant increase, in both your ability to recall things, and your ability to learn new things. We both did.”

At that Harry brightened. “Mom too?”

“I assume so, but I couldn’t say for sure. She taught us remember. By the time I knew her well enough to tell, she had been using her mind palace for a couple of years.”

Harry nodded, that made sense, he thought. “And, umm, do you think it would help with…” He trailed off, apparently not ready to voice his question. But he glanced at his trunk.

Sirius considered his godson, there were a few things he might be thinking of, but he thought he had a good guess as to what this was about. “Becoming an animagus?” He asked. Harry gave a jerky nod, which Sirius took as confirmation. “Can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t. With the improvement in memorization, recall, and visualization, it will likely make the process easier. Though I don’t know if it’ll have any effect on this american version, since we don’t even know what that is yet.” He smiled, hoping to soothe any worries.

“Okay, I’ll work on it. Every day after dinner I think.”

“That’s when I do mine.”

“You’re still building yours?”

“Sort of, but mostly I take a few minutes to sort the day. New memories have to be sorted too silly.”

“Oh,” Harry looked sheepish, and it was adorable, “I guess I didn’t think of that.”

Sirius smiled, it was more fun than he thought it would be to teach his godson these things.

“Umm, and what do I do about. About.., memories I don’t like?”

“Memories you don’t like? You mean, like sad memories, or painful ones.” Harry nodded slowly. “There are a few options. I considered three when I was building my house. You can build a special room for storing bad memories, and lock them all in there. You can sort them along with the others. Or you can just not sort them.” He gave Harry a meaning laden look that Harry couldn’t interpret.

“Your mom sorted hers along with the others. She said it made them weaker, less able to bother her that way. I made a room, I call it my junk room, and put it behind a hidden door. I put all the bad stuff in there. Like I said last night, James never told us what he did. As for not sorting them at all, well, there are two main problems with that. Unsorted, those memories will assault you every time to go into your house, and slow you down. Also, if anyone ever does get into your mind, like we talked about last night, those memories will be immediately available to them, and they can use those memories to distract you while they look for the important ones.”

“So, you’d recommend the room thing then?”

“Well, maybe. It’s the method I used, but, I think I may have been wrong.” He gave Harry a piercing look, as though he were trying to look through him. “Do you know what a dementor is?”

Harry shook his head slightly. “No, it sounds bad though.”

“They are, really bad. And they guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. They drag your worst memories out and force you to relive them. Their very presence does that. I always thought that with my worst memories being locked away in my junk room, that it would be easier to fight them off. But sitting in my cell, it was more like they just locked me in there with all those bad memories, and no way out. I’m starting to wonder if it might have been better to do like Lilly, and sort them along with the rest. If she was right, and that would make them weaker, less able to, well you get the point. It might have made being there a little less terrible. No way to be sure now, unless I go in there and resort everything. But that’s kind of a scary prospect, and I already need to go through and clean everything. So much time in there, where I couldn’t get into the house, so to speak. I need to fix the place up, and it will take time.”

Sirius was unaware but he had begun to cry softly as he spoke. Harry noticed and wondered what he should do. Then he remembered what Sirius had done for him, when he was crying. Though, he couldn’t pick the man up, or set him on his lap. Sirius was way bigger, he’d crush Harry. But he could give the man a hug. Yes, a hug, that was the thing to do. But his legs had locked up the moment he began thinking of hugging the man.

He couldn’t move, and now his arms were starting to freeze as well. What was happening, what was wrong with him. He wanted to cry out, to ask for help, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was a squeak before his throat closed and he couldn’t say anything at all.

Sirius was brought out of his thoughts about his own mind palace when he heard an odd sort of croaking noise somewhere above him. He looked up to see Harry locked in some sort of rigor, one hand half reaching towards him, and looking panicked.

Thinking they were under attack he rose quickly, drawing his wand, and spun looking for the threat.

A sound from behind him caught his attention and he spun again. But the only thing there was Harry, who was looking slightly less panicked. But what made the noise. As he watched, Harry looked like he was melting, except that was wrong. Not melting, but more like whatever was holding him in place was letting go.

Slowly, as though he were walking through a river of molasses, Harry curled into himself, clutching at his sides and shaking. Worried that this might be a secondary part of whatever had attacked, Sirius spun a third time, looking for the attacker.

Once again his attention was caught by a sound. This time though, his scattered mind was able to identify the noise. Laughter, Harry was laughing. Why was Harry laughing?

Slowly he turned back to his godson, hoping for an explanation. But no explanation was forthcoming, instead Harry was lying on the sand, rolling back and forth, laughing so hard he could barely breathe, with only occasional bursts of actual sound coming from him. Cocking one eyebrow, Sirius folded his arms and looked down at the boy, waiting for the fit of giggles to pass so he could find out what happened. Unfortunately that seemed only to set off a fresh bought.

“Your face.” Harry managed to choke out before falling over again, and Sirius was left to wonder what about his face was so hilarious. Had he been hit with something? He didn’t recall any spell hitting him. But then, James had gotten good at tagging him with color change charms when he didn’t expect it. Maybe the kid had gotten lucky.

Eventually, Harry managed to calm down enough to tell Sirius the whole story. How he had begun to cry as he talked about dementors, and bad memories, and cleaning. How Harry had wanted to help but couldn’t move. And how Sirius had looked so panicked when nothing was wrong, which was what had set Harry to laughing, and he had to agree it was funny, despite the not so funny beginning. So, he rolled his eyes and pointed out that there was still work to do on the house, but if Harry wanted to spend the day lounging they could do that too.

Still chuckling, Harry picked himself up and grabbed his godfather. “Nope, you’re not getting out of it that easy. To work we go.”

“Okay, so, with the cellar done, it’s time to begin work on the main floor. So, what goes on the main floor?” Sirius gave Harry a searching look as he drew a square in the sand.

“Well,” Harry shot back a questioning look of his own. “Kitchen I guess.” Making it sound more like a question than a statement. But at Sirius’ cheerful nod, and motion to continue he gained confidence, and added. “And dining area. Oh, and a family room. Is that enough?”

“For your basic house yeah. If we were going to leave it at one level, then we would want bedrooms as well. You still want those on the second floor though right?” Harry nodded vigorously, and Sirius grinned. “Good. So first floor, I would recommend a toilet.” he added a small square to the drawing in the sand, sort of between the first three. Then pointed to the remaining space. “So what do we do with this area?”

Harry blinked down at the drawing then at Sirius. “Umm,” He mumbled eloquently.”

Sirius chuckled. “How about a library? Maybe an office? Actually, I think we should include an office for each of us. A sort of personal space that you can do whatever you want with.”

“Isn’t that your bedroom?” Harry asked incredulously.

Chuckling mischievously, Sirius replied. “Sooner or later, you’re going to invite someone into your bedroom. I’m thinking of a space that no one else will ever enter, unless you specifically ask them to, and even then, only that one time.”

“Why would I invite someone into my bedroom?” Harry asked, confused. He had never invited anyone into his private space before. And couldn’t really think of any reason that he would.

Sirius waggled his eyebrows. Then he leaned in close to Harry and whispered. “Girls.”

Harry sputtered, then went a little red, then glared at his godfather. “I’m not interested in girls.”

“You will be, one day. Trust me. Well, unless you’re interested in boys, or your like me, but, let’s hope that’s not the case.”

“Like you?”

“Try to forget I said that. I’ll explain later, but now is not the time. We’re talking about the main floor.” He gestured to the drawing of the main floor.

Harry was confused, what could Sirius mean, like him. But in his experience when an adult decides they aren’t going to tell you something, it only results in punishments to press them. So he decided to drop the subject, and let Padfoot bring it back up before he thought about it again. 

So he looked at the drawing. A library did sound like a good idea. Especially if they could ever work out a way to get Hermione to come visit. She might kill them if they didn’t have a library for her to explore. And thinking of that, why not a game room for Ron. He would love to have a place set up for chess, or other games.

When he explained the idea to Sirius, the man agreed happily and then begged for details about Harry’s friends.

“Well, Ron was my first friend. We met on the train, first time to Hogwarts. He’s great, a master at chess, and he loves all sorts of games, but most especially quidditch. Hermione, we became friends with Hermione a little later, at Halloween. She’s a bookworm, and really smart. Best in our year really. She loves the library and reminds Ron and me to do our homework a lot.”

“Sounds like a good pair of friends. A bit like mine really. Except I was the fun loving guy in our group. Mooney was the bookworm.”

“So, my dad?”

“Bit like you, the glue that held us all together.” Sirius face fell as he began to speak of Harry’s father, and he went quiet. 

Harry recognising the impending breakdown this time, slapped Sirius on the back to distract him. “Thanks Padfoot. I like to hear stories about them. Maybe later you can tell me some more. But right now we should get back to work.

Sirius shook his head, and blinked rapidly for a second. Harry chose not to comment on the moisture around his eyes. “Right, we’ve got a kitchen to build. And a dining room, and so on.”

When evening approached again, they made their way back to the camp, tired and sore from the days work. Dobby was busy with dinner so they grabbed a pair of books and settled down to read a bit.

While they both grabbed books on the magical practices of the native americans, Sirius found one on general practices, while Harry gravitated to what appeared to be a book of nature spells, titled The Magicks of Flora and Fauna.

They read quietly, until Dobby announced that dinner was ready.

Sirius chuffed at Harry though when the younger tossed his book to the side. “Harry, two things. First, how would Hermione feel if she saw you treat a book like that?” He pointed to where the book had fallen, half open lying in the sand. “And second, how are you going to feel when you go to continue reading, and find the spot where you left off is now illegible because of water damage from lying in wet sand?”

Harry hung his head. “Sorry.” He whispered, retrieving the book and brushing the sand from it. Meekly he walked over and offered the book to Sirius.

Sirius looked up at the boy and frowned. “Harry, I’m not reading that one right now. You are. Just put it back in the trunk so you know it’s safe. After dinner we can continue reading. It’s going to take a while to get through all these new books, and we don’t want them to get damaged before we can read them.”

Nodding, Harry went and placed the book gently with the others. Then made sure the trunk was properly closed before returning to the fire.

Still unsure about the sudden change in Harry’s mood, Sirius decided to let it go for now and try to get a conversation started. “So, did you learn anything?”

Harry looked up at last from his observation of his shoes. “Learn anything about what?”

SIrius pointed to the trunk. “About nature magicks?”

“Oh, umm, a little. It was kind of hard to follow. I couldn’t understand all of it, but I think it was more about spells to help plants grow and helping animals to find food. That kind of thing.”

“Hmm, that could be helpful. When we get a greenhouse built, or decide to start a garden. Or if we find that any of the trees on the island have reached wand quality.”

“Yeah, or we can feed squirrels.” Harry added, a tone of mockery to his voice.

“Hey, I like squirrels. And if we get some on the island it will give Padfoot something to chase.”

“Oh, you don’t want me to throw a ball for you?” Harry clamped his mouth down on the last syllable, as though he expected Sirius to be angry.

But Sirius surprised the boy by laughing loudly. “Your dad used to do that once in a while. Said he’d teach you to catch by playing keep the ball in the air so Padfoot can’t take it.”

Slowly, Harry eased out of the tense posture he had taken and began to laugh with his godfather.

Then food was served and they fell into an easy silence as they ate, occasionally commenting on the meal.

“Dobby,” Sirius said as he set his plate aside, “I don’t know how you do it, but you are an excellent cook. Remind me later, we’re getting you a proper chef’s hat and apron.”

Dobby bounced a little in his seat. “Ooh, Dobby would like that mister Puppy sir.”

Which sent Sirius laughing again. For some reason, Dobby calling him Puppy just tickled him.

“Okay,” he turned back to Harry, “before we get back into the mind palace. I want to go over what we both learned from the american books. You mentioned that yours has spells for plant growth and feeding animals. Anything else?”

“Not really. I only made it through the first chapter before we broke for dinner.”

“Okay, do you want to hear about mine?”

“Sure.” Harry seemed to perk up a good deal.

“So, the book I grabbed was on basic practices. I think it’s a bit smaller than yours, I managed to get through two chapters, and the couple of times I looked up it seemed that we were reading at about the same rate. A lot of theory so far, but it seems to focus on nature a lot more than we do here. With a heavy emphasis on knowing oneself thoroughly. Pretty interesting, even though I don’t really understand it yet. In fact, I’d like to continue reading if you don’t mind, after we spend say, an hour on our mind palaces.”

Harry nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, that sounds good. Though, I think I might try a different one. The plant one is interesting, but I might have more luck with something a little more basic, before I try to get into the heavy stuff.”

“Sounds like a plan. Shall we start on the palace then?”


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday 10 July

“Well, that was a good read last night.” Sirius said over breakfast. “I fell asleep reading, you?”

Harry smiled and ducked his head. “Yeah me too. It was interesting though. I picked up the one with all the animals on the front. I thought maybe it would be about animagus.”

“Animagi.” Sirius interrupted. “Animagus is singular, the plural, which is used when referring to the art in general is animagi.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Sirius waved it off as unimportant. “Holdover from Mooney lecturing us on proper word use. Don’t worry about it, but do try to use proper words. You get more respect that way.”

Harry smiled. “Okay, I’ll try to remember.”

Sirius grinned. “Good, so, you were saying. Was the book about animagi?”

“Oh, uh, no actually. It was about nature talkers. People who can talk to animals. It mentioned that some can talk to plants, but that’s very rare.”

“Talk to animals?” Sirius looked up sharply. “That would be cool, I’ve only ever heard of one who could do it though. And they could only talk to snakes.”

“Slytherin.” Harry said, in a toneless voice.

“Yeah, and his heirs. Still, other animals.. Could you imagine talking to a dog? I doubt they’d have much to say beyond, food, sleep, chase the squirrel. But still, pretty cool.”

“Or owls, I bet that’s how they got them trained to deliver mail in the first place.”

“Maybe, I kind of doubt it though. You’d think that if there were ever a person in our history who could talk to owls, or any kind of bird, they would be just as famous as the founders. And as I’ve never heard of one, it seems unlikely that there was. More likely they trained the first owls the same way we do today. There are spells cast on the eggs, to make them smarter, more loyal. Then as they grow, before they learn to fly, there are more spells, to give them the ability to find people. Finally, after they learn to fly, before they get their first delivery job, which is usually to deliver themselves to a pet shop, they are connected to the wards that surround the UK, which gives them an improved ability to navigate, and protects them from even the harshest of weather conditions. Not sure how long it took to develop all that, or when any of it came into use. But..” He trailed off.

“Hmm, still it’d be cool to learn though.” Harry said, some of the excitement bleeding out.

“Agreed, when you finish that one, I’ll have a look. Between us, I’m sure we can work out a way to do it.” And just like that, Harry’s smile was back in full force. “Well, back on the topic of animagi, there wasn’t anything in the book I was reading. There was though, mention of rituals and how they are performed in the american style. It’s fairly complicated, and reading through it, I can get an idea of what their animagus training would be like. And the bad news is, I don’t think we’ll be able to use it. Just to get started we’d need to study up extensively on how they use magic, which is quite different from what we learned at Hogwarts. And there’s even a note in there that some of the american rituals may not work for anyone else.”

Harry’s face fell slightly, but he perked up as Sirius switched gears. “So, we’ll just have to stick with what we already know. You could use the same method your dad and I did.” He raised a hand before Harry could interrupt. “However, that method takes years, not least due to the fact that before you can even begin you have to learn human transfiguration. With that method, you use a potion to find your animal form, then you transfigure yourself into that form, over and over, and over, until it becomes natural, and your body begins to think of it as part of your true form. There’s a lot that can go wrong with that. Nearly everyone attempting it gets stuck halfway through a transformation eventually. And if you really mess up, you can land yourself in a transformed state, but without access to your memories, and thus unable to change back.”

Harry scowled at that thought. “Is there a way to avoid those problems?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Padfoot grinned at his godson. “There is, and if we had known of it in school, we would have used it. It’s not only safer, it's also faster. You won’t have to learn complicated transfiguration, nor train your body to be something other than what it is. Instead, you train your magic to work with you. Which sounds a lot easier and cooler than it actually is.”

Harry glared at the older man. “You’re trying to scare me.” He said petulantly.

Sirius chuckled. “Nope, just warning you that it won’t be easy, despite that it will be easier than what your dad and I did. Now to explain this properly, I’ll actually need to send Dobby after some books. But before I do that, I want to get the library done, so we have a safe place to keep them. Unfortunately, we found it just before things started happening, and we didn’t have enough time to really study in depth. Though I do recall most of the basics. Or at least I think I do.” He smiled ruefully. “Some years ago, there was a muggle born wizard, by the name of Arthur Rowan. His family had some connection to the old druids, not sure exactly what, but the important part for us is that he was able to study some of the old druidic practice through muggle history. And from that was able to piece together their magical teachings. That’s important because when the romans invaded they nearly wiped out the druids. Who refused to teach the roman wizards their way of magic. What we learn at Hogwarts, as you might guess from the extensive use of latin in incantations, is actually roman magic. The druidic magics have been lost for centuries, but Rowan figured them out. However, because he was muggle born most of pureblood society laughed at him and ignored his writings. The Potters though, were never ones to stand for that kind of thinking and bought copies of his books. They were then placed in one of the libraries, and I have no idea if anyone bothered to read them before James and I found them just after graduation. There are two important things about the old druidic method of animagus training that we picked up, and intended to try ourselves eventually. First is that it’s all internal, meditation and training. So it takes less time, and doesn’t have the same kind of problems with errors, if you get something wrong, then it just doesn’t work. Rather than the risk of being stuck in the wrong form. The second thing of importance, is that with the druids method, you aren’t stuck to just one form, you actually train your magic to transform you into whatever animal form is best suited to your needs at the time you change. So say you need to travel very far, very fast, you might become a bird. Or if you need to go fast, but only a few miles, you might become a wolf, or a dog, or even a deer.”

“Or if you needed to swim, you might become a fish.” Harry added, catching on. “Wow, that’s really cool. When can we start?”

“Slow down there pup.” Sirius grinned, holding up a hand. “As I said, I know the basics. But we never actually even got started. I’ll need to read back over the books, and so will you, before we can get started. And before that, we need to get the house finished.”

Harry blinked for a second, then jumped to his feet. “Well, what are we waiting for. The house isn’t going to build itself.” And he started to run down the beach towards the incomplete beach house. As he ran he threw a final thought over his shoulder. “Thanks for breakfast Dobby, it was really good.”

Bang! The last nail slid into what would become the wall between the library and the game room. Which meant it was time for lunch. Just in time too, Harry thought as he wiped the sweat from his brow. His tummy had started rumbling just a couple minutes before.

As he climbed down from the ladder intent on asking what they were having for their midday meal, there was a distraction. In the form of a bark from what would eventually be the kitchen, once they got the rest of the house built and moved in the appliances.

As Padfoot was the only animal on the island they had heard make such a noise, they were, quite understandably, curious about what was in their soon to be home. Although Harry thought there was something familiar about the sound.

The two split, as the hallway down the center of the house provided two entrances to the kitchen, they moved to come in from both, and prevent escape. Harry would take the nearer one, from the family room, while Sirius would go down the hall to the far entrance.

Inside the kitchen they were treated to the sight of a large white owl blinking at them, with a letter clutched in her beak.

“Hedwig!” Harry cried when he laid eyes on his friend. He rushed over and claimed the letter before stroking her gently. “You found me girl, well done.”

The owl gave him a doleful look, as though to say, of course I found you, silly human.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friend Harry?” Sirius stood in the rear doorway, leaning against the frame, smiling broadly.

“Of course.” Harry waved for the man to join him. “Sirius, this is Hedwig, my familiar. Hedwig, this is Sirius, my godfather.”

Hedwig looked the man up and down, and barked at him. Sirius chuckled mirthfully and reached out to stroke Hedwig’s feathers. “She’s beautiful Harry, and I think she knows it.” He smiled down at the bird. “Don’t worry girl, I’ve been taking good care of him, and I will continue to do so.”

The owl gave him another long look, then barked in a cheerful sort of way and hopped over to his shoulder to preen the man’s hair.

“I think that means she likes you.” Harry giggled at the surprised look on Sirius’ face.

“No pup, she likes you, and approves of me. Maybe you should look into those spells for talking to animals, you don’t seem to be well versed in interpreting owl yet.”

Harry considered his godfather for a long moment, then stuck out his tongue. “Lunch!” He cried, and turned to run away as fast as he could. Calling over his shoulder. “Come on Hedwig, I’ll see if Dobby will fry up some bacon for you.”

“Owlsies like meeses.” Dobby explained when Harry asked if he would make some bacon for Hedwig. Then popped away and returned with three large mice. Which he held up in front of the owl. “Would owley like to hunt or eat?”

Hedwig clicked her beak several times, contemplating the rather frightened looking rodents before darting her head forward and grabbing one of them. She then waved one wing at Dobby as though to say, let the others go, I’ll hunt them later. Then she flew a short distance away to enjoy her meal.

Padfoot caught up to them just in time to see Dobby release the remaining two mice into the woods.

“What was that Dobby?” He asked.

“Dinner for owley.” Was Dobby’s succinct reply. “Now owley can hunt whenever she wants. If island runs out, Dobby can get more.”

Sirius got a thoughtful look for a moment, but was quickly distracted when Dobby laid a large plate of roast chicken sandwiches on their camp table.

As he reached for his third sandwich, Sirius remembered the letter. “Hey pup, what was the letter about. If you don’t mind sharing?”

It seemed Harry too had forgotten about the letter in the excitement of seeing Hedwig, and lunch. He fumbled his sandwich for a moment as he looked up in surprise. “Oh, umm, I haven’t read it yet. Here gimme a second.” He took a moment to get the sandwich onto a plate so he could pull the letter from his pocket. A second separated as he did. So there were two letters. Who were they from, Sirius wondered. Perhaps the friends Harry had mentioned the other day?

“I’ll bet these are from Ron and Hermione.” Harry said as he opened the first one to scan it’s contents. After he checked the second he nodded. “Yep, I’ll read Ron’s first, it’s shorter. Opening the parchment he began to read.

Harry,

Hey mate, what’s going on? Dad said you did magic on your aunt and uncle. Did they deserve it? I bet it was brilliant, mind you, if it had been me, mum would kill me. Speaking of mum, she says we’ll go to diagon at the end of July, after our Hogwarts letters come. Any chance we’ll see you there?

Ron

“Yeah, that’s Ron.” Harry chuckled. “Short and kind of meandering around the point.” This time, Sirius chuckled with him.

“Okay, Hermione’s”

Harry,

I got a visit from Professor Mcgonagall today. It surprised my parents, as we are on holiday in France. She explained that something happened between you and your relatives, but wouldn’t say exactly what. Just that you had run away.

Harry you must know it is very dangerous to run away from home. Not that I blame you, if the twins are right, you deserve better than what those people give you, but still. 

Anyway, Professor Mcgonagall explained that there was magic involved and that you may think you had been expelled. You weren’t if you were wondering, whatever happened has been counted as accidental magic. Everyone is very worried about you.

Mcgonagall wouldn’t tell us what was wrong, but it was very clear that something was bothering her about not being able to find you. Apparently they even have the Aurors out looking for you.

Wherever you are, I hope that you are safe. And I look forward to seeing you again when we get back to England. We’ll be in Diagon Alley the first Saturday of August, if you can meet us there. If not then I will see you on the train on September first.

Love,

Hermione Granger

For a moment the two sat quiet, absorbing Hermione’s message. Then Sirius spoke. “Well, she seems to like you.” He waggled his eyes at Harry.

Harry though didn’t notice, he was staring at the parchment as though he could force it to reveal more by sheer force of will. Finally, after several breaths, he looked up. “I’m, I’m not expelled.”

Sirius smiled. “Told you it’d be okay pup. Dumbledore hates expelling anyone, if he can find a way out of it, he will. And accidental magic, no matter the effect, has never been cause for expulsion.”

“That means, I can go back.” Sirius was surprised to hear a hint of sadness in his godson’s voice.

“You can pup. Why do you sound like you don’t want to?”

In a blink, Harry rushed across the short space and threw himself into Sirius’ arms. “I don’t want to leave Padfoot. I like it here, with you.”

Not sure what to do, Sirius wrapped the crying boy in a hug, and began to rock. “It’s okay pup, it’s okay. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

This apparently was the right thing to say. Harry looked up. “I don’t?”

Hearing the wonder and confusion in the boys voice, Sirius smiled reassuringly. “No pup, you don’t. And I would like very much for you to stay. However, I will point out that if you stay, you won’t get to see your friends. And while I can teach you a lot. I can’t teach you everything you would learn at Hogwarts. So I would encourage you to think about it for a while before making a final decision. We have all summer before we have to make a choice on that. So think about it for a while, you may find that you change your mind later. But no matter what you decide, you’ll always be welcome here.”

Sirius felt like a genius. It was the same thing, more or less, that pappa Fleamont had said to him when he had run away from his parents. And Harry’s reaction was the same as his own had been. He wrapped himself tightly around Sirius and lay his head on the man’s shoulder.

For a minute, then two, they sat there, holding one another through the torrent of emotion. Then at last Harry hiccuped and sat up. “Thank you Padfoot.” He whispered.

“You’re welcome pup.” Sirius answered just as quiet, then motioned to the plate Harry had left behind. “You still hungry?”

Nodding, Harry wiped his eyes, and smiling picked his sandwich back up and bit into it.

Grinning, Sirius turned to retrieve his own sandwich from where it had fallen when Harry glomped onto him. Only to be met with a sharp slap to his hand.

“No, this one dirty now.” Dobby exclaimed. “Bad puppy, you get fresh one.” He pointed to the platter of sandwiches on the table.

He looked over and caught Harry’s eye. Harry’s eyes were glittering as he held in the laughter that was threatening to burst out of him at seeing Dobby scold the older man.

Just to see if he could get Harry to break, Sirius mock pouted at the boy, holding his hand as though it had really been injured. That did it, Harry howled cheerfully, spitting half his sandwich into the fire.

For several long moments they shared in the mirth, relieving the pressure of moments before.

Later that evening, after they had finished installing the last room on the ground floor. Opposite the game room, next to the family room, Sirius called it his music room. They settled in for dinner, lamb stew tonight, with sourdough rolls.

“So, why a music room?” Harry asked as they seated themselves around the fire.

“I love music.” Sirius explained. “When we were young, my brother and I were required to learn an instrument. I got the harpsichord, my brother Regulus, the violin. Mother insisted it was pureblood tradition. One of the few things she insisted on that I actually liked. I learned a few more instruments at Hogwarts. Though I was never much of a singer. My voice isn’t exactly what you’d call melodious.”

“There’s music classes at Hogwarts?” Harry asked, looking confused. “How come no one told me?”

Sirius snorted. “No, Hogwarts hasn’t offered music lessons since before Dippet. A lot of the old curriculum was removed in the last century. Not sure why. No I learned on my own. Managed to convince Minny to let me do a self study course. We split all the usual courses though, and shared notes so we could all learn everything.”

“Everything?” The question was incredulous. “And how did you get a self study course, and who’s Minny?”

Sirius chuckled. “Minny was our pet name for Professor Mcgonagall. She hated it, but she couldn’t stop us from using it between us. And I convinced her by playing her some music. By the end of second year, I had managed to teach myself to play the harp. I played Scotland the Brave for her and she melted. My final exam each year was a private recital, where I had to play a new instrument, and at least four songs of her choice. It was a lot of fun actually.”

Harry smiled at the story. “But you can’t sing?”

“Oh, I can sing.” Sirius said, puffing his chest out. “It’s just that my voice isn’t all that great, so most people don’t like my singing. If I’d gotten into heavy metal, it probably wouldn’t matter, but I never did. I always preferred classical. Though I did enjoy some soft rock. Actually, I did get mistaken for Stubby Boardman once. That was a fun night.”

“Who’s Stubby Boardman?”

“Lead singer of the Hobgoblins. A popular group from the late seventies. They got their big break just after our sixth year.”

“And I guess he looks like you?”

“Quite a bit actually. Which is no surprise. Stubby was his stage name. His real name was Samiel Black, he’s my cousin. I wonder what he’s up to now. I haven’t heard from him since the war started. When things started heating up he and the band left the country. Went to America, who knows, maybe they hit it big over there. I’ll have to check in on him if I ever get the chance.”

“What was their music like?”

“Well, soft rock really. They took a lot of inspiration from the muggle music of the time. Drove his parents crazy when they found out, but by then it was too late. They’d established themselves and their style, so it couldn’t be changed. I could play you some of it, if we had my old record player. It’s in the flat, I saw it while we were there. Too bad we didn’t have time to do anything.”

Harry smiled wryly. “Maybe you could teach me to play?” He asked, not looking at Sirius.

“Sure if you want. I’d be happy to.”

That perked Harry up and he returned his gaze to the man. “Did my dad play?”

“Nope, poor guy couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Your mom though, when she found out I was practising, brought her flute to some of my practise sessions and played with me. Even taught me to play the thing. Never did like that particular instrument, but thanks to her I learned about a lot of muggle music. And several instruments I enjoyed thoroughly, like the guitar.”

Harry smiled at the story, and the idea that he might have something in common with his mum. Though never having been allowed any music, he had no idea what he might contribute to the topic at the moment. And even less if he had any talent for it. Still, he rather liked the idea of having Sirius teach him about something he so obviously enjoyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I want to point out that Arthur Rowan is a real person. An actual author of Druidic lore. To be fair, I've read only one of his books, Lore of the Bard. However it is good read, very informative, and just entertaining enough that it doesn't feel like reading a textbook. I highly recommend him if you are at all interested in bardic or druidic history and practices.
> 
> On the off chance that he happens to be reading this, I hope that you take my use of your name sir, as the compliment it is intended to be. And smile, rather than hunt me down and perform a proper smiting.


	8. Chapter 8

Thursday 11 July

They woke up late this morning. They had stayed up later than usual to work on their mind palaces and continue reading the american books. However, when the sun got through their canopy and shone in their eyes, they had little choice but to rise.

Harry groggily stretched, and reached for his glasses. “Did we oversleep?” He asked no one as he carefully rolled out of his hammock.

“I think we did.” came Sirius’ sleepy reply. The man stood a few feet away, eye’s only half open, mouth stretching into a caricature of a yawn.

From somewhere nearby a squeaky voice called to them both. “Master Harry Potter sir and his dogfather, slept almost an hour past their normal wake up. Breakfast has been getting cold.”

As one the two looked over to where Dobby stood next to the camp table, which was laden with sausages, scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, and toast. Then they followed the line of the elf’s arm, which was pointing to a second table. Upon this second table sat a glorious, heavenly, divine offering. Two large steaming pots, labelled tea, and coffee. A pair of enormous mugs. A great heaping bowl of sugar, and a gigantic pitcher of milk.

Following their noses in a state of near torpor, the two stumbled over the sand to gather the drink of the gods into their waiting hands.

A few minutes later, they sat together munching their way through the excellent meal, in between sips of their preferred breakfast beverage. Tea for Harry. Sirius was odd, he actually mixed the coffee and tea together. Claiming he got a boost from the coffee, but the flavor from the tea. Harry tried it once, and promptly spat it out.

Around halfway through the morning meal, Hedwig flew down from the tree she had perched in to nibble some bacon and preen Harry’s hair.

This reminded Harry of something, but it took him a moment to root it out of his head. “Ron, Hermione.” He suddenly cried, startling Hedwig, who barked at him. “Sorry girl.” Harry reached up and stroked the owls feathers to calm her.

“That’s smart pup.” Sirius grinned at the green eyed boy. “Never let a woman stay mad for long. It’s just makes it worse when they release their wrath upon you later. So, what about your friends?”

“I almost forgot. I should write them back.”

Sirius blinked. It appeared he had not considered that either. “I agree.” He said slowly, as though he were tasting the words for veracity. “It would be unkind to leave them uninformed. But, what will you say?”

The motion of Harry’s mug stopped halfway to his mouth, then slowly lowered back to the log he was using as a table. “I don’t know. I can’t tell them where we are. They’d have to tell the headmaster, and then the Auror’s would know where we are, and we’d have to run again. I like it here, and the house we’re building. I don’t want to have to leave.”

“Well, we’re at a good break point on the house.” Sirius replied slowly, stroking his chin. “We could take the morning to let you work on that and relax, then get to designing the upper floor after lunch.”

He was rewarded with a bright smile from the messy haired almost teen. The smile only lasted a moment though. “I still don’t know what to write though.”

“Which is why we take some time to think about it. Tell you what, how about we go for a swim?” He nodded to the beach.

Harry looked pensieve for a moment before responding. “I don’t know how to swim.” He said, inspecting his feet.

Sirius blinked. “Well, that’s something we shall have to fix isn’t it?” He said after a moment's contemplation. “Come on, I’ll teach you.”

Harry’s head came up sharply, a look of incredulous confusion wrinkling his face.

“You’re grandmother used to tell me, that if you make a face like that for too long. It’ll get stuck that way.”

Harry’s face cleared almost instantly. Then he smiled. “You’ll teach me to swim?” He said, rather shyly.

“You bet pup. No godson of mine is going to be in trouble in the water, unless he’s unconscious.”

It took a minute to sort out swimming clothes for the two, but soon they were splashing in the water. The letters to Ron and Hermione, all but forgotten.

When they left the water for lunch Harry had managed a passable dog paddle, and was able to tread water for a couple of minutes. Though he was still unsure if he would be comfortable being in the water without Sirius nearby, just in case.

As they changed into dry clothes, Dobby brought out lunch, a thick beef stew.

“So, what are you thinking of telling your friends?” Sirius asked as they tucked into the hearty meal.

Harry considered the question while savoring his first bite, which was delicious enough to be distracting. “I’m not sure. I guess I should start with the fact that I’m okay. Although that might be obvious, just from the fact that I’m writing. I’d like to tell them that I’m with my godfather, but they might be able to figure things out from that.” He paused to take another spoonful of stew.

“Go ahead and tell them who you’re with. Just not where we are. It won’t hurt anything for them to know we’re together, and may put them at ease. Even if they do figure out who you’re talking about. It’s not like I have any reason to hurt you.” Sirius offered, between spoonfuls himself.

“That makes sense. Definitely not where we are though. Don’t want another pack of Aurors showing up.” He giggled at Sirius who, in lieu of actual speaking, had pointed to him and nodded vigorously. While savoring a mouthful of the thick stew. “I could mention some of what you’re teaching me too. That would make Hermione feel better at least.” Again he chuckled at Sirius who was now giving him the classic thumbs up.

Feeling like he at least had a plan for writing back to his friends, Harry fell to the meal. Sirius too, seemed content to savor bite after bite of the hot meal.

When the last of the broth had been sipped, the last morsel of beef and vegetables devoured, Harry pulled his writing utensils from the trunk and took over the camp table to scratch out replies. After a moment of fiddling around waiting, Sirius looked over his shoulder and winced.

“What, what’s wrong?” Harry asked turning to the man. He couldn’t think of anything he had written so far that could elicit that response.

Sirius glanced back at the parchment perched on the table and blanched. “No one’s bothered to teach you how to handle a quill have they?” He asked in a rather more serious tone than was normal for him.

“Well, no, but..” Harry trailed off, not sure how to reply to that.

“All right, we’ll add that to the list. There’s no good reason not to have good penmanship. It won’t help you to take notes if you can’t read them. Same goes for sending letters. If your friends can’t read your writing, what’s the point.”

Harry’s gaze fell to the ground. He mumbled something but Sirius couldn’t make out what.

“Hey, none of that. It’s not your fault if no one ever bothered to help you. That’s the adults job, if they fail, it’s their problem. You’ve got me now though. I can’t do much in time for you to get those letters out today, but maybe a few easy adjustments will help. Here try this.” And he proceeded to demonstrate how to hold the quill so that the ink didn’t run out too fast. Then he placed the quill into Harry’s hand, and helped him to find the correct position on his own. For a minute or so he talked about the proper writing speed so as to get a consistent flow of ink. And then he let Harry get back to writing. After a moment of observation he nodded as Harry’s writing was now much more legible and consistent.

Blinking at the difference, Harry looked back and forth between what he had written when he first sat down, and the new writing after Sirius explanation. “Wow, that’s really different.” He said quietly.

“Yep, it takes practice to get really good, But we’ll do that later. Go on, write your letter.”

For a long time, Harry sat at the small table, staring at the parchment, debating what to write. Finally, he set to writing.

Ron,

Hey mate, I’m not sure how long it took Hedwig to reach me, but I hope you haven’t had to wait too long. Yeah, I accidentally turned aunt Marge and uncle Vernon into pigs. I expect I’ve been expelled so I won’t be returning to Hogwarts. Not sure about Diagon. The magical police have already been after me. Almost caught me twice. So I’m laying low for now. I’m safe though, I bumped into my godfather, and he’s been taking care of me. A lot better than the Dursley’s too. I haven’t had to skip even one meal since I met him. And he doesn’t lock me in my room either. I can’t tell you where we are, or what we’ve been doing. I don’t want to give away anything that could lead someone to us. The bobbies are after him too. I’ll try to write as often as I can though. I’d like to see you guys, it just isn’t safe right now. Tell everyone I said hi though.

Harry

After a couple of rereads to be sure he conveyed his thoughts the way he wanted, Harry nodded and folded the letter. Drawing a second sheet of parchment close to write to Hermione he glanced up to where Sirius was lounging in his hammock reading. Should he show the man the letter, assure him that it didn’t contain anything it shouldn’t. No, he thought, this would be a good chance to find out if Sirius trusted him to do the right thing. If Sirius trusted him then good. If not, he would check the letters himself, and then Harry would know that if he changed his mind and decided to send something incriminating he would have to be careful about it.

He’d tried a few times to tell people about the Dursleys, but no one ever listened. He doubted that would be the case with Sirius though. He’d been in prison for, wait, Harry had never asked what he’d been in prison for. Shit, for all Harry knew the man could be a child murderer. Stop he told himself before he could begin hyperventilating. I’ve been sleeping five feet away from the man, on an empty beach. If he wanted to hurt me, he’s had more than enough opportunity. And he certainly didn’t have to tell me stories about my parents if he were planning to kill me later. Still, I should probably ask the next time we have a free minute.

Nodding to himself, he turned his attention to the blank parchment and thought about what to tell Hermione.

Hermione,

Last summer, Dobby floated a cake through the Dursleys kitchen. I was blamed for it and received an official notice stating that I would be expelled if any more magic was detected at Privet Drive. A few nights ago, I did accidental magic and turned my aunt and uncle into pigs. Then I ran away because uncle Vernon was threatening to kill me before I turned him into a pig, and aunt Petunia was looking like she wanted to burn all my things, then throw me into a river.  
So, of course they are going to expel me, anything they say to the contrary is just to get me to let my guard down. I’ve seen the Aurors twice since that night, and both times they were screaming that I was under arrest. So I’m not trusting anything they tell you. Or anyone else for that matter. They sure didn’t do anything about Quirrell, or the Basilisk, and we could have used the help then.

I’ll try to meet up with you in Diagon, but don’t hold your breath. I probably won’t be able to. I’ll write as often as I can though. I’m plenty safe now, and I have lots of free time. I met up with my godfather, and he’s the best. He took me to my family home and told me stories about my dad. We couldn’t stay there, the Auror’s showed up. But it was a good start. He doesn’t punish me for being around, or blame me for other people’s actions. And he’s teaching me about magical culture and history. A lot better than Bins.

I can hear you asking for notes on what he tells me. I haven’t taken any yet, but I’ll write them down when I get the chance and send you a copy.

Okay, I’d love to sit here and write all day, but, things to do. Write back whenever you like, and I’ll send Hedwig whenever I can. Even if we aren’t at Hogwarts together, I hope we can still be friends.

Love,

Harry

Folding Hermione’s letter alongside Ron’s Harry called for Hedwig and looked over at Sirius. The man was engrossed in his book. “Hey, Sirius, did you want to look these over before I send them?”

Sirius started to raise a hand, but it paused halfway then slowly lowered. He looked up from the book to catch Harry’s eye. “I probably should, just to be sure. I trust you, but we can’t be too careful when it comes to telling people where we are. However, this book is really fascinating, so I really don’t wanna move. Are you satisfied that they won’t be able to figure out where we are from what you wrote?”

Harry blinked, that was both a lot of information, and kind of tangled. After a moment he nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t include anything that I thought might even hint at where we are.”

This time the hand did come up and waved the question away. “Then you’re fine. Go ahead.” He smiled broadly at Harry. “I trust you pup.”

For a moment, Harry felt a wave of confusion wash over him. Sirius trusted him, probably the only adult that ever had. But he had been unsure of Sirius, what did that say about him? Did he deserve Sirius trust if he couldn’t trust Sirius?

With a shake of his head, he tore the irritating thoughts away. Of course wanting proof wasn’t bad, nor really even a lack of trust. Although, he did wonder where Sirius had gotten proof.

Pondering the curiosity he tied the letters to Hedwig’s leg and told her where they were going. She nodded, nipped at his finger affectionately and flew off towards the mainland.

Beginning to debate whether it would be worth the effort to pull Sirius away from his book, Harry turned to see his godfather watching him. “Umm.” He said eloquently.

Sirius grinned. “I’ve decided that we’re skipping work entirely today.” The man said with a mischievous tone. He held up the book he had been reading. “I remembered the title of the book we needed and had Dobby grab it for me last night. So, I think we’ll spend this afternoon on another mental project. Come, sit.” He motioned to Harry’s hammock.

When Harry had situated himself comfortably he spoke again. “Okay, so animagi. The way your dad and I did it, is a slow process. You have to brew a potion, which takes two months. Then you drink it under a new moon. This allows you to get a vision of your animal form. Then you transfigure yourself into that form. Piecemeal at first. That means you change a hand, a foot, etc. One at a time, over and over building up to larger transformations until your body is used to it. Takes ages. With this method,” he held up the book again, “you begin with meditation. Apparently most people take a few tries to get that right, but it’s basically the same thing we’re doing with our mind palace. So, I think if we just add a space to the mind palace for animagus training, that should be enough. We’ll test it and find out. Anyway, once you’re comfortable with meditating, you then envision yourself as an animal, any animal, every animal, over and over. The idea being to train your magic to think of your form as malleable. See the old way, teaches your magic one other form. This way, teaches your magic that you can be any form. So you can change to a form that fits your needs in the moment you change. Unfortunately, there’s nothing in here on how long it takes. Which I’m guessing means that it will vary depending on how dedicated you are to the process, and how comfortable you are with changing form. Possibly having already achieved the animagus transformation, I might have an easier time of it, then again, as I was using a different method, I may actually find it harder. We’ll just have to try it and see. So, as I said, it begins with meditation and visualization. So, what do you say to working on our internal landscaping for the rest of today, and we’ll get back to the house in the morning?”

“Okay.” Harry replied slowly, settling in for a long afternoon.

The island was very quiet after that. The silence only occasionally disturbed by the call of birds, the creak of the hammocks swaying in the breeze. And once in a while, Harry or Sirius asking for clarification on some aspect of the meditation, or what a particular animal looks like.


	9. Chapter 9

Friday 12 July

They woke early today. While mentally changing forms had been fun, it also did not lend itself to wakefulness. And even when Harry had switched to sorting memories, finally having finished building his palace, it had not been easy to remain awake.

The sun was not yet up when Harry opened his eyes, and he could tell from the deep even breathing that Sirius was still asleep. Deciding to use the time, he descended into his palace.

He smiled ruefully at the design he had finally settled on. The place looked like a cross between the Dursley house and what he thought the Beach House would look like when they finished it. This was intentional, as he had decided to follow Sirius’ advice and sort all the bad memories along with the good. So he used some of the layout and rooms from number four to make it easier for him to envision them. Though he changed out many of the appliances to be more magical, and he planned to add moving portraits to the walls to represent his memories. For the memories of the Dursleys, he would use tools and kitchen utensils. In the kitchen was also a large cookbook, into which he would put all the recipes he knew for food he liked.

Upstairs, he had rearranged things so that his bedroom was right at the top of the stairs, and resembled the boys dorm in Gryffindor tower. He would put most of his memories of time in the tower there, along with those he had spent sharing a room with Ron at the Burrow.

In place of the Dursleys rooms he had set up a library, in which he would put memories of study time, and homework. He thought he might also use the books to represent memories of books he had read as well, but was still unsure if he could get that to work. Unlike Hermione he couldn’t really recall things he had read word for word. But maybe when he had gotten good at using this method that would change.

In the backyard he set up a quidditch pitch, which would hold memories of playing the game, as well as general flying. Though he was still debating what he would use to represent the memory of flying on a hippogryph.

And then there was the new space he had set up yesterday. A little copse of trees, with a small pond. It even had a little waterfall. It was here he had come to practice changing form. He laughed as he thought about the time spent yesterday, changing from one form to another. He had stumbled around as a deer, trying to find his legs. It reminded him of the scene from the movie Bambi, he had seen briefly while dusting the living room. Then he had tried to bounce around as a puppy for a bit. He hadn’t been surprised when he saw how much he looked like a smaller version of Padfoot, and looked forward to the day when he would be able to change for real. Just so he could surprise Sirius with that form.

With a grin he added a tree to the space, one which had grown into a set of shelves. Grabbing the memory of each form he placed a small statue of the animal on the shelves, giggling over the antics he could envision for each.

Dobby eventually dragged him back to the waking world for breakfast, and he began to think about what they would do today.

The plan was to begin work on the second floor of the house. Which meant layout planning. Two, or maybe three bedrooms, if they wanted an extra for visitors. Sirius had wanted to add an office to each of their bedrooms, plus closet space. Harry had argued that a simple wardrobe would be enough, but Sirius insisted that they should have a large closet each. Then bathrooms, one for each of them so they wouldn’t have to share, or wait in the mornings. That at least made sense.

“What ya thinking about pup?” Sirius asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Just the upstairs. How are we going to fit everything? I mean, two or three bedrooms, each with an office, and a bathroom, and a big closet, and whatever else. We’re not going to have enough room are we?”

Sirius chuckled. “Magic pup. We’ll use space expanding charms in every room, to make them as big as we need.”

“Oh.” Harry felt his cheeks growing warm. He hadn’t thought of that. Which was silly, he’d been using magic all week, to lift boards into place, hammer nails in, and a few times to use the color change charm Sirius taught him. Once even to change the color of Sirius shirt, but only a little. And he swore it was an accident after, that Sirius had moved at the wrong time. The man had only laughed about it and turned Harry’s shirt a bright pink. They laughed about it a little, but what Harry found most interesting was that the man didn’t seem to be mad at all. Uncle Vernon would have been furious if Harry had ever gotten paint on one of his shirts, let alone if he’d used magic, but Sirius didn’t seem to care at all.

He felt kind of bad that he was comparing Sirius to uncle Vernon, but he didn’t really have anyone else to compare him to. And it helped that Sirius always came out the clear winner in any comparison.

Sirius chuckled. “Forget about magic for a minute? Lilly did all the time. Surprising really, when you consider how much time she had spent around magic, that she would constantly forget that there’s a magical solution to just about everything.”

Harry smiled thinly. “Yeah, I do that too.”

“No worries.” Sirius waved away the concern. “No matter how you solve a problem, the important thing is to recognise that its a problem, and to do something about it. There’s no wrong way really, just ways that are more or less effective.”

Harry brightened. “So then it would be okay to skip the closet and just have a wardrobe?”

Sirius glowered slightly. “You are determined to have less than you deserve. While we could make a wardrobe hold everything, nothing will make it easy to find what your after in one. No, a closet will both hold everything you need, and allow you to find it easily. So a closet is what you will have. You deserve to have the best, no matter what those people claim.” As he was speaking, Sirius crossed the distance between them, and when he had finished he swept Harry into a hug and squeezed.

After a moment, Harry tapped on the man’s arm. When he had Sirius attention he pointed to his face and in a wheezing voice said, “air.” Then chuckled loudly when Sirius dropped him looking shame faced. “Got you.”

For a heartbeat, Sirius stood there looking flabbergasted. Then he threw his head back and barked out an enormous laugh that would have made Hagrid proud. “That was a good one pup.” He eyed the boy and then said in a mock wheeze of his own, “Air.” He held up his hands in a what can I do sort of gesture. “For a second there I thought I’d actually hurt you.”

Harry couldn’t help it, he fell over, he was laughing so hard.

“Oh, so that’s how it is. Gonna laugh at your old dogfather huh. Okay, time to show you how your dad and I used to practice dueling.” He whipped out his wand and shot a spell at Harry.

Rolling out of the way, Harry pulled his own wand. Then patted himself over trying to see what the spell had done. It had missed him, he saw a patch of sand that had been changed to Gryffindor red. Looking up at Sirius he quirked an eyebrow.

“Color change charms. We used to change the color of each others robes three or four times a day. No chance of hurting each other, and a good way to build up reflexes and accuracy. Go on, try one of your own.” He motioned for Harry to cast at him.

Harry bit his lip and considered his options. On the one hand, he had never been invited to do something like this before. And it did sound kind of fun. On the other, there were very specific rules at Hogwarts about casting spells at adults, and he could only imagine what Vernon would do if Harry were to cast a spell at him. Actually he probably should start imagining that, if he ever went back to Privet Drive, he would likely find out.

Something hit him, drawing him back from his thoughts again. He looked down to see his shirt had become a bright neon green. Looking up he saw Sirius smiling at him and motioning again for Harry to cast.

Letting go of his worries, Harry raised his wand, thought hard of the color he wanted to change Sirius shirt to and cast the spell. A bright jet of light shot across the beach and struck Sirius. Instantly his shirt became a leerid orange.

Sirius smiled broadly. “There you go pup. Now, dodge.” And he shot another charm at him.

It didn’t last long, only four spells each before Sirius called a halt. He was smiling when he did though. “Okay, okay.” He held up a hand. “We’ll do that some more later. And I might tag you with a few while we work. But we do need to get to work. Hard to be sure when the weather will shift on us, and it would be nice to have the place finished before we get hit with a rainstorm.”

Shooting the man a look that fairly screamed, I will turn your nose into a cucumber, Harry nodded. “Alright, let’s get going then. The second floor isn’t going to build itself.”

The layout nearly designed itself. They had placed the stairs leading up to the second floor at the back, next to the kitchen, and abutting the wall of the library. At the top, they began by laying the floor, which in turn allowed them to easily lay out the locations for walls. Starting with the hallways and doors they laid out four rooms. Each room was then given closet space and it’s own toilet. Then the two closest to the stairs were selected as Harry and Sirius’ and an extra space was added for their studies.

The work was irregularly interrupted with discussion of memory sorting, and meditation. Several times Harry took a moment to observe his godfather, wondering when the promised color charms would come flying, and if maybe he should be preemptive. But then he looked down, and realised that dodging and casting where they were, would likely result in a fall. Which was most likely why Sirius hadn’t sent a spell at him yet. Once they had the floor finished and began work on the walls though.

Despite the interruptions, the work fairly flew by, and the floor was finished just before time to break for lunch. To pass the extra time, once they were back on the ground, Sirius did indeed initiate a second round of dueling. This one passing almost a dozen spells before Dobby appeared to call them to eat.

When he saw the state they were in though, Dobby insisted that they cancel the spells and wash up before he would feed them. “Master Harry Potter sir must wash his hands, and the Black puppy would be well served to do likewise.” Was all the little guy would say until they had followed the instruction.

For lunch today Dobby served up what he called scotch eggs. Hard boiled eggs, wrapped in meat, then breaded and fried. Sirius loved them, Harry however found them a little chewy, but otherwise good. They were served with a side of roast squash, and green beans.

“So,” Sirius said as they settled down to eat, “now the house is nearly finished. We should start thinking about furnishing. Or rather, more importantly, how we’re going to get it.”

Harry considered the man for a moment before responding. “Can’t we send Dobby for that?”

“Dobby would be most pleased to help Harry Potter with this.” Apparently, Dobby was going to answer his question. “However, Dobby is sad to say the furniture would take a long time for Dobby to bring here.”

Turning to the elf, Harry tried to smile, but found it a bit bitter. “Why would it take a long time Dobby? Can’t you just pop it here? I don’t understand?”

As Dobby opened his mouth, Sirius began to speak. “Elves have limits too Harry. While they can do a lot of things we wizards can’t, there are still plenty of things they can’t do, that we can. That’s one of the reasons we work well together. We can fill in the gaps in each others abilities. For example, while an elf can pop directly to the mainland and back with a load of supplies, far easier than we can. They can only travel with what they can hold onto. Shrinking things is beyond them, so they can only move so much at once. And before you ask, the point of having Dobby go would be ruined if one of us went with him to shrink things. So we need to go, separately from Dobby. Which means we’ll need disguises. And a means of transport.”

He held up a hand for silence and took a bite of roast veges. When he swallowed, he turned to Dobby. “Dobby, do you think you could manage a boat?”

The huge green eyes stared at the man for a moment before Dobby squeaked out. “A boat, as in bringing a boat here sir?”

“Yes, do you think you could get us a boat? Something small enough that we could handle it ourselves, but big enough we could move furniture out here with it? And then get it out here?”

“Dobby, Dobby thinks so sir. It would not be easy sir. Dobby has never navigated a boat sir.”

“Okay, don’t worry about it then. It’s been a while, but I think I can still manage. We’ll need money though.” He looked up at Harry, a look of concentration in his eye. “Do you know how much is in your trust vault Harry?”

“Not exactly. I didn’t have time to count it. But Hagrid said it should be enough to get through school.”

“If it was what James intended, it should be a lot more than just enough to get through school. But without looking myself, I don’t know. I never saw the inside of your trust vault. So it’s up to you. Right now that’s the only one Dobby can get to. And we’ve already had him shopping from it, and making some large purchases. Furniture won’t be very cheap. But to get him access to any other vault, we have to go into the bank and arrange it.”

“But we can’t go to Gringotts.” Harry broke in. “We’d be caught in no time if we went to Diagon Alley.”

Sirius held up a hand. “True, if we went to Diagon. Gringotts has a few other entrances we could use. And once inside, we’d be under Gringotts rules. The goblins don’t care about wizard laws. They won’t protect us for long, only while we’re in the bank, and they don’t offer sanctuary or anything like that. But they also won’t tell anyone we’re there. So if we can get in and get our business done without being recognised, we’ll be fine.”

“How do we not get recognised?” Harry huffed out, crossing his arms in defiance.

“Well, a week ago, we wouldn’t. But now, well, look at your arms.” He pointed to said appendages.

Harry defiantly raised his arms to glare at them for a moment. Then he saw what his godfather was pointing out and his jaw dropped.

“Exactly, we’ve both gotten rather tan over the week. Add a different hair color and style, and we’ll be nearly unrecognisable. For shopping it’ll be fine to just go with charms. No one would be looking for them. But in the magical world, there are several ways to spot those, so we’ll go with something a bit different. Something they won’t be looking for.”

“What?” Harry asked curiously, the defiance having left him in favor of wonder.

Sirius grinned a marauders grin. “Wigs, and fine robes. No one will be looking for us dressed like that.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but then an image of himself and Sirius in powdered wigs and Lockhart's robes flitted into his mind and he burst out laughing.

Grinning at his godson, Sirius turned to Dobby. “Dobby, can you get us each a set of dress robes, Sapphire I think for Harry, and Aqua for me. Also, a pair of wigs, let’s make us both blonde, honey I think, and close to the same shade as you can get. Make us look like father and son.”

As Dobby nodded and popped away, both he and Sirius missed the way Harry suddenly went still at Sirius final words.

Nothing else was said as they tucked into food. Sirius was considering the next few days and what they needed to accomplish. Harry meanwhile was furiously telling his rapidly beating heart that Sirius had not meant that he thought of Harry as a son, just that they needed to fool people when they went to Gringotts. After all, no one wanted him as a son, not even his own parents, who had died rather than stay with him. Sirius couldn’t have meant that he actually wanted Harry as a son.

“Okay, hoist that wall section up there, and I’ll seal it in place.” Sirius called, back on the job.

Harry looked at the man sideways. “Hoist? We don’t have a hoist Sirius, we’re using magic.”

“I know that, I just always wanted to say it. Heard some muggle construction guys say it once, and it sounded funny.”

Shaking his head at his godfather, Harry drew his wand and incanted, “wingardium leviosa” and directed the now floating section of wall up to the second floor, as Sirius rushed inside and up the stairs.

When he had the wall set in place, he motioned for the next. But just as Harry turned to begin directing the next piece up he shot a spell at the boy on the beach.

Noticing that his shirt had just changed to a brilliant blue, Harry turned to glare at his dogfather. “I thought we were leaving that for between work?” He said slowly.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, while we work. Keyahh” Sirius ducked and tried to dodge as Harry shot a spell at him mid sentence.

“Serves you right.” Harry called up. “Now, shall we, hey!” Harry actually managed to dodge the spell Sirius shot back. He glared up at the man. “You know, we aren’t going to get much done, if all we do is play around.”

Sirius mock pouted at him. “But, I just wanna have some fun pup. Can’t you let your old dogfather have a little fun?”

Harry snorted, and dropped his head into his hand. “Oh wow, I’m older than my godfather. How will I ever survive.” He looked up just in time to see a spell hit his hair. Pulling a lock down to see what had happened to it he saw that his hair was now emerald green, to match his eyes. He glared at Sirius for a moment, then got an idea. Ignoring the man for a moment he levitated the next wall section up to the second floor, and waited for Sirius to take control of it. Once it was set in place, but before the man began to turn back, he shot out a spell that would change Sirius’ hair to scarlet.

When he noticed the change, Sirius clutched at his heart. “Oh, you got me. My own dear godson. How could you? After all I’ve done for you.” Twisting he slumped down, pretending a heart attack.

Harry waited a few moments before levitating a handful of sand up to drop on the man’s head.

Sirius jumped up, spluttering and shaking sand out of his hair. “Oh, you, I’ll get for that.” He called down, wagging a finger at Harry, who stood on the beach beaming. “Next piece, come on.” He added after a moment, motioning to the remaining wall pieces. “You win this round.” And Harry could hear the pride in his voice.

The walls went up quick enough, even with the random bouts of spell slinging at one another. And by dinner time, the second floor was finished. Now all that remained was the attic space and roof.


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday 13 July

In the morning light they stood on the beach, looking at what remained to be done on the house. The main floor was finished, as was the second floor. They still needed a deck, Sirius was rather insistent on that, and a roof. And turning just a bit they could see where they intended to have their boathouse and dock. Both of which still had to be built.

“So, roof first. Then what?” Harry asked.

“Deck, then the boardwalk and dock. The boathouse can wait until we actually have our boat. For now we can’t be certain of how big it will need to be.”

“Alright, what are we waiting for then?”

Sirius pointed to the horizon, where clouds were blocking the view of the sun, which was just over halfway above the sea. “We don’t start work until the sun is properly up. I know we woke up early today, but that’s no reason to break that rule.”

Harry snickered. “And does that apply to work done in the evening. Cause I recall a few nights where we kept reading after the sun was down.”

“Reading is not work.” Sirius said imperiously, nose rising into the air. “Regardless of subject, reading is a joy.” He sniffed. Then he grinned and looked back down to Harry. “At least, that’s Mooney would say. Still though, I don’t want to start work until I’m properly awake, and that will be in just a few minutes. Until then, I want to enjoy the breeze and the understanding that we have accomplished something wonderful together. Not to mention that I’m standing on a beach with my godson, and not stuck in a cold, damp, dark cell in Azkaban.”

Harry glanced up at Sirius, wondering if it would be okay to ask. After a heartbeat of hesitation he grabbed his courage and opened his mouth. “Was it bad there?” He almost whispered.

Shook from his thoughts, Sirisu looked down at the boy beside him. “Bad?” He asked slowly, as though tasting the word. He almost scowled, but stopped halfway to the expression. “The prison is on an island in the north sea. It’s cold, always, year round, cold. Nothing grows there, so it’s all just hard unforgiving rock. The prison itself, was built from that stone, which is a nearly uniform dark grey. Between the wind, and the sea spray, everything there is always wet. Without magic to protect you from the elements it’s miserable, no sane person would stay there. Even with magic, it can only be made liveable, not comfy. And then there are the dementors, terrible creatures, they live on fear and pain. Their very presence forces you to relive your worst memories, over and over, and over. And if they get too close, they will try to kiss you. At least, that’s what its called.” He looked down at Harry’s stricken face and tried to smile, it came off as more of a grimace. “If given the chance, they will suck out your soul. Anyone that has that happen, effectively dies, though the body will continue working. Everything that made them a person, is gone. I’ve never really understood why the Ministry keeps them. While being around them for too long does strip a wizard of their ability to perform magic, making them perfect prison guards, it’s such a cruelty to expose anyone to them, that it would be kinder to simply kill someone than to lock them in that place.”

Harry went pale. “But, but if they had killed you..” He trailed, unable to contemplate what would have happened to himself if that had been the case.

“I know pup. And I’m certainly glad they don’t do that. I just wish they could have come up with something better for the prison than those things.”

Not yet ready to speak Harry nodded, then threw himself into his godfather. “I won’t let them take you back there.” He whispered into the man’s hair as he felt arms wrap tightly around him.

“Don’t worry pup. I don’t intend to be caught.” The man whispered back.

Though it took a few minutes, they eventually pulled themselves together and got to work. The attic floor, and walls were quickly finished. The roof took most of the morning and was finished just before lunch time.

Before they quit for the midday meal though, Sirius marked out the dimensions for the deck. Stating that it was a quick job and would allow them to get straight to it when they returned.

Which turned out to be more accurate than Harry thought. When they returned after lunch, Sirius waved his wand bringing six long square pillars into the air to float at the corners, and center sides of the space he had marked out. A second wave brought them down hard, driving them deep into the sand until only a couple of feet were left sticking up.

“There we go, our base. We’ll build the deck on that.” Sirius stated happily.

Harry just blinked at the man owlishly. “How did you do that?” He half whispered in awe.

Sirius smirked. “Magic.”

Another blink, then two, then Harry hit him with a spell that turned his skin neon orange. “Bad Padfoot. Full answers.” He said in a tone normally used to scold a misbehaving dog.

Sirius glanced down at his nearly glowing skin and smirked. “You’re getting better pup.” He waved his wand over himself, dismissing the color change. “But we should finish the deck while we still have light. It shouldn’t take too long, and I want to at least get started on the dock today if we can.”

“You’re teaching me that spell later.” Harry grumbled as he turned to the now nearly empty pile of lumber. “Which boards are we using for this?”

As Sirius began explaining how the deck would be constructed, Harry contemplated the many changes in his life the last week had brought.

When the week began he had almost nothing. Sure he had money, but it was in Gringotts, a place he was still unsure of being able to get to without being caught and sent back to the Dursleys. But even if he could get to his money, he had nowhere to go. His friends were out of the country. Every adult he knew was bent on seeing him trapped with his relatives. And no plan for how to change anything.

Then he ran into Padfoot, and everything changed. Now he had a home. Sure it was unfurnished, but they would fix that soon. He had a family, even if only a small one. And he was sure that Padfoot would never send him back to his relatives, no matter what anyone else had to say on the subject. And he had a plan, a way to get back here if he needed to. Surely Dobby could bring him along if he needed it. Though, could he? He should probably ask the elf about that to be sure.

He finally shook himself free of his thoughts when Sirius indicated that it was time to begin.

True to his thinking, the deck didn’t take long. Though they had to sink four more posts for support. Two near the center of the deck, and two more for the stairs down to the beach. Unlike with the walls and floors of the house, Sirisu was not terribly concerned with being exact. “Part of the charm of a good deck, is the signs of it being built by hand, which includes small mistakes in alignment.” He explained as he levitated seven or eight boards into place and stuck them there. “A few sticking charms to keep them in place while we add nails.” Harry watched as a fleet of nails flew into the air and thudded themselves into the frame.

An hour later they were finishing the stairs and beginning the boardwalk. Which was even easier. Every ten feet, Sirius sank a pair of posts, attached a board connecting them to the last set, and added boards across the top to make a path. Twenty minutes and it was done, creating a path which led all the way down to the shore.

“Now, here’s where the real work will be for this.” Sirius said as he sat down and began pulling off his shoes.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked curiously.

“Well, first off, we don’t know yet how far out we’ll need to build the dock. That depends on the boat, and how close to land it can get. So we can really only get started for now. But before that, we need to survey the sea bed here, so we know what we’re working with, and how deep we need to sink the supports.” He pointed to the water. “If the ground under there is sandy,” he lifted a handful of sand and allowed it to flow through his fingers to demonstrate, “then we have to sink them like we did for the deck. If it’s rocky, we only need to sink them a little. Otherwise, it’s basically like building the boardwalk.” He nodded to where the mentioned walkway ended a few feet behind him. “You coming?” He motioned to the water.

Harry took a moment to decide, then nodded and dropped down to remove his shoes.

When they were ready, Sirius tapped the side of his head with his wand, and a bubble sprang into place around him. Making him look like he was wearing a fishbowl on his head. “We’ll be underwater for a bit.” He explained as he reached over and did the same to Harry. “This will allow us to breathe.” He reached up and tapped at the side of the bubble. “Air can pass through just fine, but not water, or gas. If you ever need to protect yourself from stink pellets or the like, these work great. Come on.” And he turned and dove into the water.

A school of brightly colored fish flashed away as they dove directly into the center of them. Harry looked around in amazement. The world under the waves was so very different from that above. They could only see a few feet ahead of them as they swam along the sea bed. Oddly shaped rocks loomed into view as they moved, beds of kelp waved drunkenly in the tide. Then there were the occasional school of fish, some with bright colors like the one they frightened upon their entrance, others darker in color, but no less magnificent in their movement. Flowing through the water, even more graceful than Hedwig in the air.

Harry tried speaking a few times, but learned when Sirius turned to grin at him and reply that it was pointless. While sound seemed to travel perfectly through the water, the turbulent waves broke it up making it difficult to understand what was being said. So they travelled in silence, taking in the breathtaking beauty of the sea.

Despite the view, they only remained for a few minutes. Sirius checking the floor in several places before he motioned for them to return to the surface.

Walking back onto the beach, Sirius removed the bubbles from around their heads. “Well, we’re in luck. It’s only sandy for about ten feet out, then it gets rocky. That'll make it easier. We’ll have to check the rest of the beach though, see if there’s an area where it stays sandy further out. That’s better for swimming.”

Harry nodded. “Sounds good, we should explore some more though. It was really interesting down there.”

Sirius grinned. “It was, wasn’t it. Maybe we can make a project out of it, map out the sea bed around the island. Who knows, we might even get lucky and find some merfolk living nearby, or a giant squid.”

“Not sure if a giant squid would be so cool out here. I get the feeling they aren’t all as nice as the one in the lake at Hogwarts.”

“Probably not, but we’ll see what we have around here later anyway.”

Grinning they got to work setting up the first ten feet of dock, before heading back to camp to warm up and see what Dobby made for dinner.


	11. Chapter 11

Sunday 14 July

“Master Harry Potter sir must stop playing with his wig sir.” Dobby protested for the third time. The morning was not going quite to plan.

Harry and Sirius were going to Gringotts today. They needed to withdraw, and exchange some money, and get Dobby authorized to enter Sirius’ vault. Unfortunately, Harry was not taking the plan very well. He had argued over the robes, the color of the wig, and now kept fiddling with the wig, it was uncomfortable on his head.

“I can’t help it Dobby, it itches.” The boy complained, though everyone there knew he was mostly stalling. Afraid they would be caught if they went to the bank.

“I’ll say it again Harry, you don’t have to go. I can manage on my own if you want.” Sirius offered.

Harry shot the man a betrayed, anxious look. His eyes fairly screaming his terror that if that happened, he would never see Sirius again.

Sirius knelt down so he was on eye level with his godson. “Harry, I don’t know any other way to do this. We have to go to Gringotts to get money, and we have to have money to get furniture, appliances, wardrobes. And anything else we need, like groceries. We can’t just keep living out of your school trunk, and eventually your trust vault will run out if we keep using that. So one way or another, we have to go to Gringotts. Or at least I do. Owl order and small withdrawals can be done with a signed parchment, but to actually grant access I have to physically visit, and sign for it.”

He gave Harry a serious look. “So, what do you say? Are you going, or are you staying?”

Harry looked for a moment as though he intended to protest some more, then slumped. “I’m going. You said yourself, you don’t know my tastes. So I need to go anyway to help with the shopping. No reason for me not to take the biggest risk with you as well.”

Nodding solemnly, Sirius motioned for Dobby to continue his work getting their disguises in order. “So, you’re going to let Dobby finish, and stop complaining?” He said to Harry. His only answer was a glare from the boy. Though Harry did stop fidgeting. “Good, you’ll see. Everything will be fine, and we’ll be chugging back here in our new boat this evening.”

When they were ready, Sirius had Harry take hold of his arm, and they were off. Apparition had not gotten any better since they had arrived on the island. But apparently familiarity with the method of travel, did breed a sort of acceptance of it. It didn’t get less awful, he just didn’t pay as much attention to it. Though he did silently vow to himself to find a better way to travel when he got the chance.

They appeared in an alcove of a dark, cramped alley a sign above the little street read Knockturn.

“Come Heracles.” Sirius said, with a wisp of imperiousness. It was the name they agreed to use while they were in the magical district, for today at least. They were to be Sammus and Heracles Beaumont. Visiting from the continent, Sammus is debating whether to send his son, Heracles, to Hogwarts. If anyone asked, which Harry hoped fervently that they would not. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to keep up the act for very long. But if Sirius was right, then all they had to do was act the part of a pair of old purebloods, and they should be left alone. They certainly didn’t look at all like themselves.

Following along in Sirius wake he had to agree the plan seemed to be working. Hardly anyone was sparing them even a second glance, and those that did were scurrying to get out of their way. Although that could be the scowl Sirius wore like a mask. Either way, in just under three minutes they were striding into the bank.

The bank lobby was identical to the one Harry had visited with Hagrid two years ago. Yet subtly different. As the entrance was on the side next to the bank of desks, rather than at the far end from them. For a moment Harry was sure it was the same lobby, just a different entrance. Until he saw that this lobby was a lot less busy, and the people here were decidedly different. Nearly everyone visiting the bank from this entrance had their hoods up. And more than a few appeared to be the wrong shape or size to be entirely human.

Before he could contemplate the patrons too much though, Sirius was pulling him along towards the tellers. When they reached a desk, the goblin seated there looked down at them and sneered.

“State your business.” The goblin said in a cold dreary voice.

“I wish to see my vault manager.” Sirius told the goblin in a low quiet voice. “I have some business to see to.”

“And do you have your key sir?” The goblin asked, just as quietly, but with a low growl.

“I shall discuss that with the manager.” Sirius replied, eyeing the goblin.

The creature leered at them. “And who is your vault manager?”

“Manager Longhorn.” Sirius offered.

Nodding the goblin climbed down from his seat. “Wait here.” He said as he strode over to a group of waiting goblins.

A hurried discussion between the short beings brought two of them back. The one retook his seat at the desk while the second stood at attention nearby.

“Salamander here will show you to the office. Good day.” The first said, waving them away.

The second goblin, apparently named Salamander, unless that was a title, gave them a curt half bow and strode briskly away towards a door at the far end of the line of desks.

Through the door there was a long hallway with numerous unmarked doors on each side. About halfway down the hall the goblin stopped and indicated the door on the left. “He is expecting you.” The creature said, and hurried away.

Sirius simply opened the door without knocking and entered. Harry following along behind him.

Inside the small room there was a desk, and seated behind it, one of the most vicious looking goblins Harry had ever seen. “What can I do for you?’ The thing barked at them as the door closed.

To Harry’s surprise, Sirius smiled. “Long time Manager Longhorn. I see you’ve been doing well.”

For a moment, Harry thought he might have been transported to an alternate reality, for surely he had not just seen a goblin actually guffaw. But sure enough, the being in front of them was flabbergasted. It’s jaw hung open, its eyes bulged, and it even chortled, just a little.

“Sirius Black. I heard you broke out. Didn’t expect to see you though. Must be something terribly important to risk coming into the heart of magical society.”

“We came through the Knockturn entrance.” Sirius replied dryly.

“You’ll want to leave through the backdoor. The chief Warlock ordered detection spells set around the entrances to alert him if you came to the bank.”

“I hadn’t thought they would try that. They must be desperate. Has the fee for the backdoor changed?”

“It has not, at least, not since the last time you used it.”

“Excellent,” and Harry was again surprised to see the smile adorning Sirius face. “Withdraw that for myself and my godson, from my vault. Also, I shall need a new key. Mine was taken when I was arrested. All other keys to be destroyed, and I wish to grant elf access for our house elf Dobby. Dobby.” He called and a pop declared the arrival of the elf.

The goblin grunted and reached for a drawer of his desk. He pulled out a parchment and laid it on the desk. “We shall need a drop of blood from each of you.” He indicated two boxes on the parchment. Sirius and Dobby seemed to know what to do and both pricked their fingers and allowed a single drop of ruby fire to fall onto the sheet.

Rolling the parchment up, Longhorn placed it in a tray along with several others. “Hmm, key.” He intoned and stood, walking to what looked like the door of a small wall safe. Rather than turn the dial though, he tapped it three times, and then ran a finger down the side. There was a click, and the door opened. From inside he brought out a small bowl and three bronze keys.

Setting the objects on the desk he smiled, which looked more like a grimace, and motioned to Sirius.

Nodding, Sirius pricked each of his fingers in turn and set them into five small depressions in the side of the bowl. Longhorn picked up each of the bronze keys and inspected them, as the bowl began to glow softly. He selected one of the keys and dropped it into the bowl, which was now filling with a glowing blue liquid. The key floated atop this substance and seemed to absorb some of it, as it too began to glow. As Harry watched, the key began to rotate, slowly at first, but picking up speed until it was spinning so fast that he could no longer make out its shape.

As the key spun faster and faster, Harry began to hear a low humming sound, which seemed to be coming from the bowl. He started to lean in to get a closer look, but Sirius shot out his unoccupied arm to hold him back. A moment later he realised why. A bright flash of golden light shot from the bowl, and before Harry could blink the spots from his eyes even once, a small clink resounded in the small office.

When Harry could see properly again, the little bronze key had been replaced with a golden version, and Sirius was inspecting it. Nodding the man placed the key in a pocket.

“Ah, excellent.” Longhorn said excitedly. “I haven’t gotten to do that in a while. And it’s always fun to watch. So, anything else I can do for you today?” He looked between the two humans.

“Nothing I can..” Sirius was stopped by a hand on his arm.

“Umm,” Harry started slowly, gaining confidence as he spoke. “I wonder, I’ve never been told anything about the Potter vaults. Can you tell me anything about them. The only one I’ve seen is my trust vault.”

Longhorn raised one long eyebrow. “Which is as it should be. You are only allowed to take money from your trust vault, until you come of age. Unless your parents made other arrangements. But I wouldn’t know about that. Only your vault manager would know.”

“Do you know who my vault manager is?” Harry asked.

“No.” Longhorn huffed. “But I can find out. Give me a minute.” He rose and left the room.

Sirius turned to Harry. “What’s up pup?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only ever seen the one vault. And you mentioned that the Potters had more than one, so I was curious. Since we were here, it seemed like a good time to ask.”

Sirius chuckled. “Well, you’re right about that. Hopefully it doesn’t take long though. The goblins won’t be able to hold the Ministry out forever.”

Harry looked chagrined, he had forgotten about what Longhorn had said about detection spells. “Oh crap, I forgot. The Aurors could be here any minute.”

“Calm down Harry.” Sirius placed a hand on the boys shoulder. “The Auror’s aren’t permitted to enter Gringotts without permission, and it takes hours to get it. They’ll be waiting outside for us to exit, which is why we’ll be using the backdoor. Unless we stay in here for several hours we have nothing to worry about. Your dad and I used to use the same trick to evade death eaters.”

Harry blinked at the term. “What’s a death eater?”

Sirius looked startled at the question. “One of Voldemort’s followers. That’s what they called themselves. I thought we talked about that before.”

“If we did I forgot.” Harry hung his head.

Sirius tipped his head up with a finger under his chin. “None of that. Maybe I had a dream that we talked about it, and thought it was real. The important thing is that we have now. So, are you hoping to find anything specific, checking on the Potter vaults? Or just curious?”

Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts and grinned at his godfather. “Well, I was wondering if they might have left something for me. But mostly I’m just curious.”

Sirius chuckled. “Well, Lilly might have. She was the planner. James tended to live for the moment, rarely planning more than a couple steps ahead. Terrible at chess, but perfect for quidditch.”

“Yeah, me too.” Harry and Sirius shared a smile at the thought.

Then the door opened. Longhorn strode back in and took his seat. He frowned, looking between the two wizards for a long moment. “There is an irregularity with your vault Mr. Potter.” He said in a jagged tone.

“There is?” Harry jumped at the tone. “What kind of irregularity?”

“You have no vault manager. When your parents passed your magical guardian was meant to assign a new manager. As no new assignment happened, the old manager continued to look after the Potter vaults, until he passed. However, only your magical guardian could assign a new manager. So for nine years now, your vaults have been unmanaged.”

Sirius looked up sharply. “How did this happen? Who is his magical guardian?”

Longhorns eyebrow rose again. “You are.” He said to Sirius, in a dark tone. “You are his godfather, and custody was to go to you. The chief Warlock attempted to claim it for himself, but the laws are clear. Until you were convicted of a crime, your name could not be removed from the paperwork. As you were never even tried, you could not be convicted. The last act of your former vault manager, Mr. Potter, was to seal the vaults. He left instructions that you alone can unseal them, or your heir if you never do. And that you may do so anytime after the age of fourteen, or with the consent of your magical guardian if you are still under that age.” Here he turned back to Sirius.

Sirius blinked and turned to Harry. “If you want to do that, I consent.” He offered softly.

Unable to speak, Harry simply nodded.

“Very good, however.” Longhorn said officiously. “Before that can be done, you must appoint a new vault manager.”

“Can I pick you?” Harry asked quickly.

Both adults looked at him and he shrank back a little.

“Until you are fourteen, or older. Your magical guardian must choose.” Came Longhorn’s succinct reply.

Sirius merely chuckled and motioned to Longhorn. “Well, that’s easy enough, as I would have chosen you regardless. You’re the best Longhorn.”

Longhorn grinned, and it was all teeth. “You honor me Lord Black.”

“Ugh.” Sirius cringed. “Please, don’t call me that. Wait, you can’t call me that. Not unless.” He fell silent, color draining from his face. “Their all gone.” He slowly looked up to meet Longhorn’s eyes. “I’m the last one left, aren’t I?”

Longhorn nodded, much to Harry’s consternation. The last what he wondered.

“You are Sirius. Lord Arcturus, passed last year. As you know, Orion passed the year before you were sent away. That leaves only you.”

Sirius gaped at the goblin. Finally, unable to wait any longer, Harry blurted out. “Only Sirius what?”

Sirius, still unable to find his voice, made a motion to Longhorn as though to say, tell him.

Longhorn nodded gravely and turned to Harry. “He is the last male Black. Which makes him head of the family. And as per Black family tradition, grants him the title of Lord. Though that is only a Black family tradition, they hold no real title. The family has simply been incredibly conceited for many generations.”

“So, what does that mean?” Harry asked.

“Mostly it means that he now has control of the family wealth. Making him the richest man in magical society. And head of the family means he can kick out anyone he wants. Not sure if he could reinstate those who were kicked out before. Family legend states that once someone is removed they can never return, lest a curse fall on the line. To my knowledge, no has ever tested the legend.”

“Supposedly, that’s how the fortress was lost.” Sirius croaked out, finally regaining his ability to speak. “Family lore claims that Lord Algier attempted to bring the magical child of a squib who had been removed back into the family. The next day, the Black Fortress sank.”

Harry blinked at the man for a second. “Okay, so don’t try that. But what else? I mean, does this mean your free?”

“Well, as to that, I would say no. Aside from the fact that the two of you are seated in my office, clearly not in chains.” Longhorn winked at Harry, who felt a weight lift off him at the words. Sirius wasn’t free, but he also wasn’t in prison, which was something.

There was a knock at the door, interrupting further discussion. Longhorn went to answer it, and had a brief discussion with whoever was outside. Turning back to the wizards he motioned for them to follow. “It seems the chief Warlock is more desperate than we thought. He has pushed through the paperwork to get permission for the Aurors to search the bank. Unless you wish to be in their custody, you must leave now.”

“Oh crap.” Harry began to panic.

“Calm down Harry. We’re going out the back remember. Just move fast and we have nothing to worry about.” Sirius tried, but Harry didn’t begin to relax until they had passed through the doors onto an empty moor in the middle of nowhere.

“See, told you we’d be fine. The backdoor of Gringotts spits you out at a random unoccupied location, somewhere in the countryside of Britain. Could be anywhere, even they don’t know where it will lead until they walk through. Longhorn will cover for us, it’s part of his job. They know that of course, or at least some of them will. But if they want to change it, they’ll have to deal with another Goblin war. Any time either side wants to change the treaty, the goblins insist on a war, or at least a skirmish, to determine who has the position of strength, and thus who gets to set the terms. Wizards usually win, but the goblins are shrewd negotiators. They’ve always managed to get favorable terms for themselves, no matter how weak their position appears to be. Mooney thinks they lose the wars intentionally just so they can lull us poor wizards into a false sense of security.”

That got a chuckle out of Harry who was finally calming from his state of near panic.

“Feeling better?” Sirius asked. When Harry nodded he smiled. “Good, ready to get to shopping? Now we have proper access to our money, we can have Dobby bring us as much as we need. Though I’m going to say that we’ll be better off sticking to muggle shopping from now on. We can have Dobby pick up anything we need from the magical side.”

Harry nodded vigorously. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

Sirius opened his arms, inviting Harry into a hug, which the boy happily accepted. There was a pop, and the moor was once again empty of human inhabitants.

They landed in a small copse of trees just outside Portstewart in the county Derry. This idyllic little town on the coast was only a few miles from the island, and consequently was where they would purchase their boat, and furniture. And possibly, later would be a place they would visit for other things as well. But that remained to be seen.

“Dobby, we’re ready.” Sirius called quietly and the little elf appeared with the smallest of pops. He held out the muggle clothes they would be changing into for this part of the plan. A few minutes and they were ready to go. Dobby having popped back to the bank to secure for them a supply of muggle money.

Their first stop when they got into the seaside village was a used boat shop, where after some perusal, they managed to find an old cabin cruiser that was perfect for their needs. It took far less time than Harry had expected. It being used, and them paying cash, made the whole process much faster than would otherwise have been the case. The owner of the shop even agreed to move the boat out to the launching area for them while they went to find their furniture.

The furniture store they found was a surprise. They had expected old style upholstery, like what they were used to in Gryffindor tower, and as Sirisu explained, in most old pureblood houses. What they found was wicker ware. Chairs and sofas made from woven reeds, usually with padded seats added for comfort. Sirius said it looked like some of the lawn chairs Harry’s grandparents had.

When they asked the salesperson about the options, he explained that wicker weathered better than hardwoods. With the seaside weather, and salt, most furniture styles would break down faster and have to be replaced more often. But wicker could handle the effects far better. So anyone living on the coast naturally gravitated to it as the superior choice for the climate. After that, they agreed to go with the wicker and quickly selected what they would need immediately. Making plans to return over the next few days so as not to raise too much suspicion by taking too much at once.

Four chairs, one sofa, and a dining table were a bit much to carry though, and they didn’t dare use magic. So they had to hire a helper to get everything moved down to the waterfront and onto their new floating home away from home, the Shark’s Kiss. The owner of the boat shop didn’t know why the previous owner had named the ship that, but for the moment, it couldn’t be changed, as that required changing the registry. Which had to be done elsewhere, and Harry and Sirius decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. Especially when they considered that they didn’t have a better name in mind anyway.

With everything loaded on board they got the engine going and chugged out into the sea for their first voyage.

Admittedly it was a short trip, with the island a bare three miles off the coast it barely took an hour to get there, but still, Harry was feeling exhilarated when the tiny bit of land came into view. He had intended to bring up the subject of his vaults, and talk with Sirius about the things they had learned at Gringotts, but the sea air, the chug of the engine, and the breeze blew those thoughts right out of his head. He was fascinated with everything, and somehow managed to keep up a running string of questions about how everything worked. Unfortunately, Sirius was not actually familiar with all of the various gadgets on board. Some of them seemed to have been invented while he had been in Azkaban. They would need to pick up a guide when they returned to the village, so they could learn how everything worked.

First though Sirius was going to go over the engine and work some magic, so they wouldn’t have to worry about fuel. He had apparently done this before with a motorbike.

Then there was the funniest moment. As they were leaving the port and about to “open up the engine” as Sirius called it. They spotted a pair of people zipping across the water on what looked like tiny motorbikes, except they didn’t have wheels, and they were on the water. Sirius watched them for a long time, mouth hanging open. When Harry finally managed to get his attention he was only able to say. “I have to get one of those.” For the next several minutes he had a glazed over look in his eyes, clearly daydreaming of shooting through the water on, whatever those things were called.

Only after Harry had promised that they could come back tomorrow and look at them again, did Sirius finally manage to pull himself back together and get them moving.


	12. Chapter 12

Monday 15 July

The first night spent in their new house was interesting. As they hadn’t managed to acquire any kind of appliances yet, Dobby had gone to get a grill to set up on the deck. Dinner had thus been grilled vegetables, and sausages.

Lacking beds they had hung their hammocks in their rooms. Which while reasonably comfortable, lacked the charm of being outside, and Harry woke with a crick in his neck.

“We really need to get the rest of the furniture today.” He told Sirius over breakfast.

“Agreed.” Replied the man, rubbing at his neck and bed hair. “I’ll finish with the Shark’s Kiss this morning. Just a few more spells to put on it and we’ll be ready to go. At least we can leave off the wigs today. We’ll set some glamours before we leave.”

“Cool, what kind of spells are you putting on the boat?”

“Couple of expansion charms in the cabin so we have space to put stuff. A permanent pointme in the navigation area, so we can always find our way home. And I want to double check the charms I used on the engine to insure it never needs refueling. I probably got them right, but it was late when I did them, so I want to be sure.”

“Can I help?” Harry looked a mix of curious and apprehensive as he asked, and Sirius chuckled.

“Unless you know the spells, which I doubt. Not really, you’re welcome to come with though. I’ll see if I can teach you. We’ll be using the expansion charms on the house later, and having two of us to cast them would help.”

Harry’s head began to fall, until he heard that he could learn the spells, then he perked up and was nearly bouncing in his seat to get going.

As it turned out though, spelling the Shark’s Kiss was not the first job on their list. First they had to finish the dock. Which, Harry thought, he should have realised. They had left it unfinished for a reason. Namely, they were waiting for the boat to be here, so they knew how long to make it. Now they knew they needed to finish the thing so they could tie the boat to it properly.

Fortunately, as he had seen when they started it, finishing the dock took very little time. The sun was barely warming the beach when they climbed aboard the Shark’s Kiss and Sirius began casting spells. 

He did have to change one on the engine, only a minor adjustment he explained, and promised to teach Harry those spells later. The permanent pointme was simple, and Harry thought he would be able to do it later if he needed to. The expansion charms though proved to be rather difficult. It took him nine tries to get one to work on what was meant to be his bunk on the ship. But he did finally manage at least a little.

Finally, Sirius announced they were ready to head out, just as soon as they got their appearances sorted out.

A few minutes later, satisfied with the small changes they had made, like covering Harry’s scar, they began to untie the boat when they were interrupted by a pop.

Dobby was scowling at them from the dock. “Master Harry Potter sir, and mister Puppy. Dobby has a request sirs.”

Sirius looked over at the scowling elf and blanched. Harry meanwhile hopped off the ship and sat down on it’s side, facing Dobby. “Go ahead Dobby. Is there something you wanted us to get for you?”

“Oh, no sir. Dobby has everything he needs sir. Dobby, Dobby would like to offer to take care of the kitchen and laundry sir. Then Master Harry Potter sir and his dogfather can be just getting bedsies and clothes and desks and things.” By the end of his speech, Dobby was wringing his hands and eyeing the nearby post of the dock.

Glancing back to Sirius for approval, and seeing him nod Harry smiled at his little elf friend. “That sounds great Dobby. Thank you. We’d really appreciate if you could take care of that for us.”

Sirius finally stepped up to Harry’s side as Dobby was nodding. “Actually, now you mention it Dobby. There’s one other thing I’d like if you can manage it while we’re out.” Dobby looked up at him with a huge smile and he continued. “Can you go by Potter Lodge, and write down a list of all the books in the library? I want to get an idea of how big to make the library here.”

“Oh yes Master Dogfather Sir, Dobby can do.” The elf nodded so fast, Harry wondered if his ears might fly off.

Then he had a thought. “What about the Black libraries Padfoot?” He looked up at his godfather curiously. “Aren’t there books in the Black houses you would want?”

Sirisu smiled, and Harry was concerned to see that it was a little sad. “There probably are a few Pup. But my family aren’t exactly nice people. In fact I think there were only three of us, three out of around forty, who didn’t join old Moldy. Odds are pretty high that whoever was there last, left a few curses behind. I’ll need to go in and make sure the libraries are safe to enter before anyone else can get in. Plus I’ll have to be there to key Dobby into the wards. So, that will wait till later.”

With that settled, they said a few quick goodbyes and at last they were on their way.

Shopping proved to be a great deal of fun. Once Harry calmed from the worry that they would be recognised and allowed himself to relax anyway.

Per Dobby’s request, they purchased beds and other bedroom furniture first. With that squared away on the Shark’s Kiss, they went to three different clothing stores. At each of these they teased each other about their lack of knowledge of fashion. Tried on several different outfits, and eventually settled on a few that they found both comfortable, and agreeable. Harry flat out refused to wear anything with animals on it. Sirius was eventually talked out of an entire outfit made of leather. And they both had enough clothes to halfway fill their closets when they were done. The other half would be filled with wizarding clothing, but only after Dobby had gotten their measurements to take to Madam Malkin.

With clothing and bedrooms taken care of, Sirius insisted on looking at the musical offerings, which led them to a small corner shop. Several teens were hanging out both inside and outside the shop, most of them bobbing along to the music playing throughout the place.

Sirius closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he stepped through the door. A wistful, nostalgic smile slowly spread across his features. Which in turn, made Harry smile. Before they had fully returned to the moment, the shop clerk, a rather pretty girl of around twenty greeted them.

“Good afternoon, and welcome to Mingstrom’s. Can I help you find anything today?”

With a shake of his head to clear it of memories, Sirius opened his eyes and smiled at the girl. “Why yes.” He said in a drawling sort of voice that Harry had not heard before. To his confusion, the girl’s cheeks pinked. She came out from behind the counter and motioned for them to follow, though she seemed to be paying most of her attention to Sirius.

“So, what are you looking for?” She asked as she began pointing out the various sections of the store.

Apparently they separated based on two criteria. First, the medium, record, tape, and cd. And second, style, rock, classic, r&b, rap, and so on. Then they had a small section near the back, for musical movies, which as far as Harry could tell, were movies with a lot of singing.

Unfortunately, Harry managed to pick up most of that by observation, rather than direct interaction. Just as the girl was paying attention to Padfoot, he too seemed to be following her around the store. Rather like a lost puppy Harry thought, which made him laugh a little when he realised how much he would be able to tease his godfather later.

“Hello lad.” Harry was startled from his musings by an elderly gentleman coming up behind him. Turning he saw the man was old, but not yet ancient. A bit like Professor Mcgonagall really. The man had steel grey hair and wore a tailored suit, though he had left off the jacket. “Bit old am I?” He asked, smiling at Harry’s perusal.

Blushing, Harry stammered. “I’m sorry sir. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

Chuckling, the man held up a hand. “Not to worry lad. I’ve been knocking around since your grandparents were your age. That wee strip of a lass flirting with your dad is my great granddaughter.” He pointed to where Sirius and the girl were discussing how cd’s worked. “Let’s hope your mom doesn’t come in too soon, ey?” He winked, and Harry had to suppress a giggle at the sheer joy clear in the man’s face. A moment later Harry noticed the man’s eyes widen, and he began to worry that they might have been recognised, but what the man said next soothed his worry. “Dear me, where are my manners today. Allow me to introduce myself, Alfred Mingstrom.” He held out a hand, which Harry shook. “This is my shop, built it myself, oh many years ago now. Mingstrom’s Magical Music Box, though everyone just calls it Mingstrom’s these days, or sometimes the music box. Used to sell instruments, then we branched into gramophones. Never quite the same after that. I can barely keep up these days, but that’s why Jennifer there is taking over. In a few more years she’ll be ready to handle the place without me. She already takes care of the customers right enough, just needs a bit more help with the books.” He winked down at Harry.

A sudden inspiration hit Harry and he smiled shyly up at Mr. Mingstrom. “You said you used to carry instruments?” At the man’s slow nod he went on. “Do you still have any? Or can you tell me where to find them?” He gulped a little before continuing, surely Sirius wouldn’t mind this, and he might not even ever know. “My dad plays, but he lost his instruments a while ago. It’d be nice if I could get him a new one.” He felt his cheeks burn at calling Sirius his dad, but he didn’t want to give away too much, and Mr. Mingstrom had already called Sirius that, so it wouldn’t hurt anything.

Mingstrom’s eyes twinkled. “Ooh, it’s been a while, but I think we do have a few left in the back. What instrument does he play?”

“Umm, I think he said he learned piano first, but that he learned several others since. I don’t know for sure really.” His face fell, but Mingstrom reached out a finger and raised his chin.

“No worries, I’m sure we can find something that will suit him. And if not, we can always try again. Tis never a wrong choice to indulge a loved one. Come, let’s have a look and see what we can find. I haven’t had an adventure in years, and a search of the back seems just the kind I can still manage.” He winked again and trotted off to a side door, waving for Harry to follow.

Moving past the chain in front of the doorway Mingstrom led him into a room full of musical instruments. Harry looked around in wonder. Mingstrom chuckled and waved one hand around the room. “I didn’t include magical in the name for fun.” He said with a wink.

Harry looked up at him, jaw hanging open. “You mean?” He managed to stammer.

“Yes indeed, magical instruments, every one. Some are enchanted to play themselves, others to always be in tune, a few have more interesting spells. This one for instance,” he pointed out a long flat box with several strings stretched across a small hole just off center, “will put listeners into a deep slumber if the correct music is played on it. While those,” he pointed out a set of kettledrums, “were designed for war, causing fear in the hearts of the players enemies.” He paused to smile broadly. “Of course for someone who already knows how to play, and wishes to do so simply for the joy of it, I would recommend one of the self-tuning models.” He motioned to a section holding a collection of wind and string instruments. “No piano currently, but I could get one if you want. Regrettably, they aren’t cheap, we do have a fine selection on hand though, if any of them strike your fancy?”

Looking over the selection, Harry pondered his options. He really didn’t remember for sure what instruments Sirius knew how to play. Actually, he couldn’t recall for sure if he had even said what instruments he played beyond a couple. And he didn’t want to accidentally get the wrong thing. Nodding he turned back to Mingstrom. “Umm, I’m really not sure what to get.” Then another inspiration hit, and he brightened. “But I can find out. Could I have our house elf come pick something up once I know for sure what I want?”

Mingstrom blinked, then chortled. “I don’t recall ever having a house elf visit the shop before. Yes that would be fine. I certainly wouldn’t want to send you out with the wrong item. However, be sure to send him with sterling, I don’t take galleons here.”

Harry blinked. It hadn’t occurred to him that the shop might take galleons instead of pounds, though he realised it should have, this being at least technically a magical shop.

Mingstrom smiled understandingly. “Bit of a surprise is it? I never did understand the separation most wizards insist on. The secrecy yes, but to hide away so completely that the average magical doesn’t even know how to ask for directions if they get lost in a non-magical area? Foolishness. Nah, after I finished Hogwarts, I went on a traditional world tour, then I came home, transferred all my galleons into sterling and never looked back. Do plenty of magic at home of course, can’t beat expansion charms and the like to make life comfortable. But that’s no reason to ignore my neighbors now is it?” Harry shook his head, feeling it was best to agree. “You look to be about Hogwarts age, am I right?” Harry nodded, again feeling it was best not to argue, and besides, he said Harry was Hogwarts age, not that he was a student. “And given your apparent comfort with muggle clothes, and atmosphere, I’d guess you were muggle-born?” He made it a question.

“Half-blood, muggle raised.” Harry replied.

“Ha, me too lad. My dear mother, bless her, was a pureblood. But her family called her a disgrace when she was caught in an amorous embrace with one of her classmates at Hogwarts. Kicked her out of the family. She married my father in desperation, afraid she would end up on the street. They grew to love each other, even had four of us kids. When she passed though, dad moved us back out to the muggle world. He told us, never forget your roots, always remember where you came from.”

When Mingstrom fell silent, appearing to be lost in memory for a moment, Harry spoke. “He sounds like a good man.”

Mingstrom beamed at him. “He was lad, he definitely was. He raised us knowing we would be going off to Hogwarts. But we always knew where we came from, and not to let anyone else determine our lives for us.”

Harry smiled and nodded slightly. That sounded like a good outlook to him. Then a question occurred to him. “Umm, do you mind if I ask, what house you were at Hogwarts?”

Mingstrom smirked. “Slytherin, apparently wanting to change people’s minds about how they interact with the rest of the world counts as ambition. My old housemates would be, what’s a good word, ah yes, appalled at my life choices. Ignorant wankers the lot of them.”

Harry was amazed, given what he had seen and heard of Slytherin house in his admittedly short time in the wizarding world, he would never have expected to meet one like this.

Mingstrom chuckled again. “Hard to think of a Slytherin living in the non-magical world isn’t it? I imagine my housemates are still all on about blood purity and separation aren’t they? Well, no matter, we know better, and that’s what really matters. Let others live how they like, so long as they don’t get in your way. Now, I’d say it’s about time to get you back to your dad, before he starts to worry. And I look forward to seeing you both again sometime.” He winked again and led the way back out to the main room of the shop, where Sirius was just paying for his purchases.

Their next stop was the furniture store again, where they actually had to order a few things, as they wanted traditional tables for the library. The clerk tried to argue with them about the choice, until they explained what it was to be used for. After which he agreed that the surface of a wicker table would be absolutely ridiculous for a library, and handed them an order form. They would have to wait a week for their library furniture.

The trip back to the island was much louder this time, as Sirius got his new cd player working and introduced Harry to his favorite music, rock and roll.

There was something waiting for them when they got to the house. Hedwig barked at them as they came through the door, and bobbed her head in the direction of the kitchen table, where three letters sat waiting for Harry.

Deciding to unpack their purchases first, the two quickly unloaded everything from the Shark’s Kiss and moved the items to the appropriate rooms. Harry had to agree that his bedroom now looked much more welcoming and homey with his giant captains style bed tucked in the corner, and the new light fixture that made a pattern of trees on his walls.

While Sirius set up their new television in the sitting room, Harry sat down at the kitchen table to read his letters.

Recognising Ron’s handwriting, he opened his best friends first.

Harry,

Mate, that’s pretty wicked about the muggles. I expect they deserved it. I talked to dad and he reckons that since it was accidental magic that you’ll be fine to come back. He also said that the Aurors were out looking for you because you were missing, not because of the magic. He got really weird when I asked him about your godfather though, wouldn’t say anything about him. Who is he? What’s his name? How did you meet? And where has he been till now? Mum says we’ll be in Diagon the first Saturday of August, hope to see you there. Dad says you can come stay with us after if you want.

Ron

Harry pondered over Ron’s letter for a moment, reviewing what he had written before. He had at last managed to sort all of his memories into his mind palace. Enough that Sirius was ready to start teaching him occlumency in a few days once they had the house settled. He could now easily pull up the letter he had written, as it was stored along with all his other letters, in a special box in the Gryffindor dorm room in his mind. 

Unfortunately, rereading what he had written did not help him to decide how to respond to this new letter. Ron was asking for details about Sirius. The police might not be after him now, but if they heard Harry was living with a fugitive that could change.

He set the letter aside for now. He would need to think about it for a while, and maybe even ask Sirius for advice. So he turned to the second letter he recognised, Hermione’s.

Harry,

I’m very worried for you. The papers here in France say that Sirius Black broke out of prison in order to kill you. They say he was one of you-know-who’s closest supporters, and that he was involved in the plan to murder you and your parents. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but you should still be careful.

I understand that you are worried about the consequences of doing accidental magic. I looked up the rules about it, and it says very clearly that you can’t be expelled for doing magic accidentally, no matter the effect. You should also be able to get the first instance removed from your record, apparently the trace, that’s how they detect underage magic, goes off any time magic is performed near an underage witch or wizard. So all you have to do is tell them about Dobby, and it should be removed from your record. I’m actually rather upset about it really. The way the book I found describes it, anyone living in a magical home isn’t affected by the underage magic laws. Because the ministry can’t tell who did magic, they just assume it was the parents or a visitor or whatever. So purebloods just get away with doing magic at home. It feels like the law was written just to holds us muggle-born back from proper practice. Mum and I are going to look into ways to get around it when we get home, because she would like to see some of what we’re learning at Hogwarts.

I’m very glad to hear about your godfather. Is he going to be taking you permanently, or just for the summer? It sounds like he is much better for you than your aunt and uncle, so I hope it’s permanent. Can I meet him? Will he come with you to Diagon Alley?

You’re horrible for teasing me you know. I’ve found a lot of great books on the history of magic throughout Europe. I’ve had to rewrite my essay on the witch burnings three times to include everything I’ve learned. Bins might cry, wouldn’t that be funny to see.

Ron offered to have us stay with his family for a couple of weeks, and I accepted. I hope you do too. I’ve missed you both terribly. I’m looking forward to hearing about their trip to Egypt, it sounds fascinating. I’d love to go myself someday, and I want to hear all about your summer too.

I’m sure you’ll be able to come back to Hogwarts with us Harry. But even if you can’t, of course we will still be friends, and you can write me whenever you want.

Love,

Hermione

Slowly, Harry lowered the letter to the table, lost in thought. He had to read that first paragraph three times before it sunk in. Then it took every bit of self control he had to read the rest of the letter before rushing off to ask Sirius about what Hermione had written. Sirius, out to kill him. It couldn’t be, if that were the case he would have done it already. They slept next to each other on a beach for several days, and as much as Sirius praised his help with the house, Harry could tell he didn’t really need it. So the only reason for him not to have hurt Harry at all was that he didn’t want to, right?

Half dazed, Harry rose from the table and mechanically made his way to the sitting room, where Sirius was shoving the television into place on the low table he had chosen for it.

Turning, the man grinned. “All done Harry? Anything interesting?” Then he saw how pale his godson was, and the letter clutched in his hand. He rushed to Harry’s side and eased the boy down into a chair. “What is it pup? What’s wrong?”

Silently, Harry held out the letter to Sirius, urging him to read.

With a shaky hand, Sirius reached out and gently took the letter from Harry and began to read. He made it to the end of the first paragraph before he looked up, a look of horror and understanding, and pain wrenching his face.

Harry managed to croak out, it in a harsh whisper. “Why would she think that Padfoot?”

Hearing his favorite nickname from his godson’s lips gave Sirius hope that maybe he hadn’t believed what was written here. There was no damning evidence, no list of specific crimes. And the weeks of cleaning up his mind palace, and sorting new memories had granted him a degree of calm that he had lacked on the night they met. He still wasn’t free of the damage, and there were still some gaps, odd holes in his memories that he was unable to account for beyond, time spent going insane in Azkaban. But he felt better than he had in years, and thought that if he did it right he would be able to explain. But it would be hard, he would have to go all the way back and relive his time with his best friends, and the traitor. He would have to tell Harry, everything.

Sitting back against the sofa, Sirius pulled his knees up to his chest. “It’s a long story pup, so would you like a cup of tea while I tell it?”

Harry just stared at the man for a long breath, trying to make sense of the question. Tea? What does tea have to do with anything. His second best friend had claimed that the man in front of him wanted to kill him, and yet the man was offering to make him tea? Then the rest of what had been said caught up to his thoughts. A long story, he would tell Harry all of it, he just wanted to know if Harry was ready to hear it, or if he needed a minute to calm down, maybe something warm to sip and help him relax. Slowly he nodded, still unable to force words past his dry mouth.

Sirius went to the kitchen and Harry listened to the sounds of puttering, accompanied by the occasional exclamation as Dobby argued that he was in charge of the kitchen and therefore he would be the one to prepare tea. Eventually Sirius returned looking a bit sheepish, followed by Dobby who was carrying a large tea tray.

Tea in hand Sirius took the second arm chair and turned it so he was facing Harry. He motioned for Harry to drink the tea that Dobby had pushed into his hands.

Harry looked down at the steaming cup as though he had no idea what it was, or what he was meant to do with it. After several moments he mechanically raised the cup to his lips and took a long sip. As he lowered the cup back to rest on his knee, color slowly returned to his cheeks. The calming draught Dobby had mixed in the beverage was working.

“Okay pup. So, to tell this story, I have to go way back, all the way to the start of my time at Hogwarts.”

“I think I’ve mentioned that my family was less than pleasant.” Harry nodded, though this was unnecessary. “When they sent me off to Hogwarts, it was with a boatload of expectations. Expectations I fully intended to spit on. In the first few minutes on the train I ran into a boy who was completely unlike my family. We got on very well, and by the time we found a compartment we had become friends. By the end of our time at the school we had become as close as brothers. That boy, was James Potter. If I had followed my families expectations, I would have spit on James, called him a blood traitor and walked away. Between wanting to defy my parents, and already liking him before learning his name, that didn’t happen. Instead we spent the ride getting to know each other, and by the time we got to the school, not only were we the best of friends, I had made a decision that would spoil my parents expectations, and have some consequences I couldn’t have predicted at that age.”

Sirius took a long sip of tea, savoring the warmth as it filled him. “So, we arrived at Hogwarts, and I asked the hat to send me to Gryffindor. This was a huge no-no in the Black family. They hold it as a badge of pride that no Black has ever gone to Gryffindor, and most have gone to Slytherin. My mother, screaming harpy that she was, demanded that I be resorted. Then threw a fit that she wouldn’t get her way. Eventually things got so bad that I had to run away before my sixth year. But that’s getting ahead of myself.”

“Along with your dad and I two more boys were sorted to gryffindor that year. Over the next few weeks, the four of us became friends. Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.” He tried, but was unable to keep the growl from his voice at the name of the traitor. He hurried on with the story, hoping Harry hadn’t noticed, or at least that he didn’t get distracted wondering what it meant.

“Time passed and the four of us grew closer. We played pranks on each other, on our fellow students, even on the teachers. In our second year, James, Peter and I realised that Remus was a werewolf. He disappeared every month at the full moon, and was cranky for a few days, both before and after. It didn’t really take much to figure it out. We confronted him about it, told him it was okay, we didn’t hate him or anything. It took him a while to accept it, but eventually he did.”

“That was also when we decided to become animagi. James and I did most of the research. We finally figured out how to do it in our fourth year, and a little after winter hols fifth year we managed to complete the transformation without resorting to our wands. After that we spent every full moon with Mooney.”

“Then came the war. It technically started before we came to Hogwarts, but being so young we didn’t really know anything about it. By the time we graduated though, we were in the middle of it. People were dying left and right. Good people who never hurt anyone, old families whose only crime by any standard was not supporting the pureblood ideology.”

“When we graduated, we approached Dumbledore about joining his group. It was almost common knowledge in the school that the headmaster ran a secret group dedicated to fighting against Voldemort. Everyone knew the Ministry was corrupt, full of his supporters. The Aurors rarely ever showed up in time to help anyone when there was an attack, and when they did it seemed to surprise them. So we decided to join the group that actually seemed to be trying.”

“The Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore named that group. Bunch of ragtag nobodies, with little or no real training. Even less backing. And a strong can do attitude. We should have known better.”

“Nearly every member of the order died in the first year we started really fighting. Before your dad and I joined, along with a few others, it had been dedicated to espionage. Simply learning all they could and gathering information. Not sure what they planned to do with it. But we argued that we should get out there and fight. Poor sods actually listened to us.”

“Then, in the spring of 1980, something changed. At first we didn’t know what it was. The attacks were different. They went from targeting primarily muggle-born families, to mostly half-blood, and those purebloods they called blood traitors.”

“This was after your mother became pregnant with you. It wasn’t until a few months later that we found out what had happened. Dumbledore introduced his newest spy in Voldemort’s camp. Severus Snape, he was in Hogwarts with us. Great slimy, greasy git. Slytherin, and deep into the dark arts, he joined the death eaters before we even left school. We heard him bragging about it in the library once during our seventh year.”

“Anyway, he apparently had turned against his former friends and brought word that Voldemort was planning to attack your parents, and the Longbottoms. No explanation why. We found out later. Your mom had been friends with Snape at school. Apparently they grew up near each other or something. I don’t claim to understand. She wised up after she saw what he was really like. But she managed to get the information out of him.”

“One of Voldies spies had overheard a prophecy that claimed a child born at the end of July would kill him. As you and the Longbottom boy both fit the bill so to speak, he intended to kill you before you could get him. So both families went into hiding.”

“I don’t know what the Longbottoms did, beyond that they put it about that they were leaving the country and then vanished. Your parents however, they packed up, moved into the Lodge, and told everyone they were leaving the country.”

“A couple of weeks later they got a scare. A group of death eaters were in the forest, snooping around the edge of the wards. They grabbed what they could and left. Used the same tunnel we did actually. They tried staying at the Manor after that, but again. About a week or so after they settled in, the wards alerted them that death eaters were sniffing around the area.”

“They tried living in a tent for a while, moving every few days. But Lilly hated it, and said it was too hard on you. So that didn’t last long. Eventually they actually did leave the country. Went to the Potter Vineyard in the south of France.”

“They managed a month there before death eaters were sighted in the area. Which is what tipped us off that there was a spy in the Order. It was three days after they had hosted a small get together for the Order that the death eaters showed up. No one else knew where they were, so someone had to have told them.”

“We all had different theories. James and I were sure it was Snape. Until Lilly pointed out that he hadn’t been at the gathering, and didn’t know where they were. James came up with the theory that Dumbledore had told Snape and sent him to tell Moldy. As that was Snape’s cover, that he was spying on us, and he would have to take information back to them in order to keep that cover.”

“Then Peter pointed out that we didn’t know what Remus was doing. Shortly after we joined the Order, Dumbledore sent Remus out to work his way into the werewolf packs. To learn what they knew, and if they would join the death eaters. He spent most of his time, far away from us. And every time the death eaters found James and Lilly, it was just a few days after Remus had visited.”

“James refused to listen. He considered it the height of dishonor to not trust his friends. Said that he would die for any of us, and that we would do the same for him.”

“Eventually, they ran out of places to hide. Started using other Order members summer homes, or get away spots. Even tried staying in a muggle hotel for a bit. In October of 1981, they moved into the old Dumbledore home in Godric’s Hollow. And put it under the fidelius charm.”

“The fidelius is a special protective spell. It hides a piece of information, most commonly, the location of a home or other building. Once the spell is cast, the information is forgotten by anyone who ever knew it, except the secret keeper. One person, designated during the casting of the spell, who can tell others the secret. We argued for a long time over who would be their secret keeper.”

“Dumbledore offered, but James was convinced it was him telling Moldy where they were, through Snape, of course. Remus was away again, as usual and so was unavailable. Which made him suspect in my mind. James proposed it be me. I almost did, and I wish I had. But I argued that they should have Peter do it. As the smallest of us, and able to turn into a rat in the blink of an eye. He would be able to escape from almost anything. And as James’ best friend, everyone would expect it to be me.” He had to stop, his throat was closing, and a sob was threatening to escape him. He was sure it was showing on his face, but for Harry, he had to continue.

He took a long pull from the tea, and wished he had thought to add something a little stronger to it. “Peter agreed, and Lilly cast the spell. A week later, he showed up at your front door. It was All Hallow’s Eve, that’s Halloween for the non-magical community. We usually did something special to mark the night. But you were fussy that day, and Lilly was tired. So she kicked us out early. Peter said he was heading home, something about a long day in the morning. I went out to hit a couple of bars. When I got home, the alarm charms I had set up at the cottage were going off. I rushed back over to find out what happened. I found James first, lying in the front room.” Here he stopped, openly sobbing. The image of his best friend, his brother in spirit rose up from the dark corner of his mind where he tried to keep it locked away.

Harry, finally over his initial shock, had been listening intently, filing a list of questions he had about this whole story. A prophecy, Neville could have been the person it referred to, and Sirius still hadn’t gotten to the first question, why did Hermione, or anyone for that matter, think that Sirius wanted to kill Harry? But watching his godfather breakdown at the mention of finding his father's body convinced him, as much as anything else so far had, that this man was no threat to him. He scooted his chair closer to Sirius’ and reached out to squeeze the man’s hand.

Sirius looked up to see his hand being gripped by a slightly smaller hand. Following the arm he looked into the face of his best friend, with the eyes of his wife. They held no condemnation, no accusations, just a steady acceptance, and an urge to continue. To tell the story at last, and he nodded.

“I ran up the stairs. In your nursery, I found Lilly, and just passed her, a black robe lying empty on the floor. And you, standing up in your crib, arms reaching out, crying, Paddie, Paddie. I picked you up and brought you downstairs. I knew of course, that if anything happened to them, you were to go to Frank and Alice. But as they weren’t available, that left the second choice. Which was me, I was going to take you to my place, get you to sleep. Then see if I could find where they were holding Peter. If Moldy was able to get into your house, he had to have been captured.”

“Then Hagrid showed up. He told me that Dumbledore had sent him to fetch you and bring you to Hogwarts for safety. I tried to tell him that you would be safe at my place but he wouldn’t hear it. Just kept saying that he had orders from Dumbledore. When he started to get violent about it, I let you go. I figured I would just have to come pick you up from Hogwarts, assuming Frank and Alice didn’t show up first.”

“And with you off my hands, I could begin the search for Peter all the sooner. I went to his place first, hoping to pick up a trail, find a hint, anything that would help me rescue him. There was nothing there. No sign that he had even been in the house that day. So I tried his mother's place. She had gone blind the year before, and he was often there caring for her. I accidentally apparated into her sitting room. Which turned out to be one of the best, and worst errors of my life. Peter was there, he was feeding soup to his mother. He’d left his robe on a hook by the door and was sitting there in short sleeves. He stared at me when I landed, and I got to see, on his arm. The dark mark, bold as you please. Our dear, trusted friend Peter, was a death eater.” Harry gasped, and nearly dropped his hand, then caught it and squeezed even tighter than before. “It didn’t take much to figure out things from there, and I went a little mad. I yelled, he yelled, we wrestled, and he managed to get away. He grabbed his robe and apparated.”

“While we were doing various work for the Order, your dad and I came across a spell used to track apparition. It’s not really great, it has a limitation. In order for the spell to work, you have to be present when the person you’re tracking apparates, and you have to cast the tracking spell within a few minutes. Fortunately, I met those requirements, and either Peter never knew about it, or had forgotten. Either way, I was able to follow him.”

“He had apparated to muggle London, some alleyway. When he saw that I was behind him he started screaming about how I betrayed them, and I wouldn’t get away with it. I hit him with a leg locker, and he went down. He shot something at me but missed. And then, there was a lot of confusion. He’d run towards, and then fallen into a group of celebrating muggles. They blocked my view of him for a moment. It was long enough, he got free of the leg locker and ran down another alley. I just managed to follow him.”

“He shot an explosion hex at me, and I answered with a body bind. We both missed. I don’t know for sure how long we dueled. He sent at least a half dozen explosions out into the street. I shot stunners, leg lockers, incarcerous, body binds. I wanted him captured, I wanted him to answer for his crimes. At the time, I think it surprised me that he kept managing to dodge. But looking back with a clear head, I can see it. I was a little tipsy from drink, out of sorts with grief and rage, and trying to aim through tears. I doubt I would have hit him even if he had been standing still. He kept taunting me with how it was my fault, that I had sold them to the dark lord by making him secret keeper. I lost it, I sent a blasting hex at him and he vanished. When the smoke cleared, he was just gone. I thought I’d killed him. I sat down, and alternated between crying and laughing.”

“No clue how long I was there. The next thing I recall clearly was Barty Crouch screaming in my face that I was a traitor to magical Britain and I didn’t deserve a trial. Then I was trussed up and taken to Azkaban.”

He paused to sip at his tea and observe Harry. The boy had proper color in his cheeks now, and was looking both haunted and angry. That was good, grief mixed with the anger of knowing the wrong man had been imprisoned. But there was still more to tell.

“Most of my time in Azkaban is a blur. Just day after day, moment after moment of dank dreary walls and memories. Replayed over and over again until I can’t tell one from the next. Until a few weeks ago.” Here he paused to cast a spell. A moment later a small box flew into the room and onto his lap. He stroked it gently for a moment as though it were a beloved pet. “Fudge was touring the prison, most likely the annual inspection, when I saw him, I asked him for the copy of the prophet he had with him. I told him I missed doing the crosswords, which was true, but mostly it was something to distract me from the dementors. Anything really to distract me would have been great.”

He paused for a sip of tea, then rummaged in the box and drew out a battered newspaper. He handed the paper to Harry. Then reached back into the box and withdrew a slightly faded photograph. This he held onto and continued his story. “After seeing the paper I came alive you might say. There was a fire in me again, a drive to act. For the first time in years, I felt like I had a purpose.” Slowly he offered the photo to Harry. “This is the three of us, in our animagus forms Harry.” He pointed to the big black dog on the right side of the picture. “I expect you’ll recognise me.” He pointed to the center animal, a stag, it’s horns rising somewhat regally to the sky. “You’re dad.” He smiled wistfully as he said it. Then pointed to the last animal in the photo which enlarged so he could see the detail. A small common brown rat. “Peter.” And this time, he did nothing to cover the growl in his voice.

For a moment, Harry didn’t understand, then he blinked and looked back at the paper. On the front there was a photo of the Weasley family. An announcement that they had won the grand prize galleon draw and would be visiting Egypt. He had seen it before, Ron had sent him a copy in the first week of the summer. Before he had left the Dursley’s. But now he saw what Sirius had seen. On Ron’s shoulder was Scabbers, his pet rat, and previously, Percy’s rat. He looked back at the photo in his hand. The two rats were quite similar, but it was hard to tell for sure. For a moment he wondered if there was a way to expand the photo in the newspaper. He shrugged and pulled out his wand, it was worth a try. He tapped the front of the paper and almost to his surprise the photo expanded until Scabbers was all he could see. Now he could compare the two properly. Scabbers was missing a toe, and a bit more grey than the photo of the three friends, but then he should look older as the two pictures had been taken years apart. He looked up at Sirius and nodded slowly.

“You see then? I thought he had died that night, and you were taken to Frank and Alice. I gave up. Regardless of anything else, I had killed a man. Prison was where I belonged. Not to mention James and Lilly, would still be alive if I hadn’t convinced them to go with Peter. But here he is, alive and well. And living comfortably, even if it is as a family pet. And the article said the boy was at Hogwarts. Where you were, perfectly positioned to attack should he find support. You weren’t safe, you were in danger, and in a way that no one would recognise. I waited until nighttime, and when they opened my cell for the evening meal, I slipped out as a dog. The dementors are blind, they locate people by sensing emotions. So when I slipped past them they didn’t notice until it was too late. I made it out, and down to the shore. I swam back to the mainland. I came to find you, I wanted to see you before I made my way to Hogwarts to wait. I didn’t know where the family lived so I couldn’t go there. But I did have an idea of where you might be. A week or so after I was sent there, my cousin Bellatrix arrived with her husband Rudolphus and his brother Rabastan. And Barty Crouch Junior, must have been a real stink for senior to find his own son was a death eater. They were crowing about how they had tortured the Longbottoms for information on their master. When they were brought in, the Aurors that brought them were talking about how it was a miracle that you hadn’t been there. That Dumbledore had made the right choice in sending you to your mother's sister.”

Harry scowled, and Sirius patted his hand. “Yeah, in the long run, not a good choice. Though if I had to choose between a rough childhood, and dead..” He trailed off and Harry nodded his understanding.

“And that’s it.” Sirius sat up a little straighter realising the story was now told. “The rest you were here for.”

Harry nodded, it really had been a long story, and gave him a lot to think about. Numbly he squeezed Sirius hand one last time before letting go. “That really is a lot. I think I’m going to have to sleep on it before I can really get a handle on it all. There’s one more letter though. I’m not sure who it’s from, so I’m not sure if I should go ahead and read it tonight, or let it wait till morning.” He was speaking more to himself, trying to organise his thoughts. But Sirius smiled softly and rose to walk into the kitchen and look at the letter.

He stared down at the thin loopy writing. That was Albus Dumbledore's handwriting. The same Albus Dumbledore who had seen fit not to grant him a trial. Not that it would have mattered, back then he had believed that he had killed Peter, so a trial would not have saved him. Still, how did the man know where to send a letter? Almost without thought he raised his wand in a complicated pattern, casting a detection spell. It revealed a tracking charm on the envelope and he cursed. “Dobby.” He called and the elf appeared. “Dobby, how long has this letter been sitting here?”

“Dobby isn’t sure Master Puppy sir. It was here when Dobby got back from his shopping, about an hour ago, sir.”

Sirius cursed again. “Damn, he could already be on his way here. Dobby, I need you to take this letter to Black Fortress, do you know where that is?” Doby nodded and Sirius hurried on. “Open it there and copy the letter, then burn the original and scatter the ashes. Then return here and wait. Harry and I will go out on the Shark’s Kiss and wait till morning. If no one has shown up here by then it should be safe to come get us. If anyone does show up, don’t let them see you. Just come tell us.”

Dobby nodded, looking worried, but Sirius couldn’t worry about that right now. He ran back into the sitting room to tell Harry what he had learned.


	13. Chapter 13

Tuesday 16 July

Harry woke to the gentle rocking of the ship. After the hurried packing of a couple changes of clothes and a few inconsequentials, Sirius had rushed them onboard and opened the throttle to full. They had pressed at the ships fastest speed for over an hour away from land. When they stopped Sirius estimated that they were around ten miles from Refuge, which was now the islands unofficial name. Harry hadn’t thought he would be able to sleep after all that. Surprisingly though, once he had lain down and started to relax, the waves rocking the ship and the sound of the water sloshing against the hull had proven rather soporific. It helped that they had enjoyed an eventful day, which was nonetheless tiring.

Stretching, he rose and stumbled toward the ship’s mess, from which an enticing aroma of strong tea was wafting.

He found Sirius there, pouring himself a cup. The man turned as Harry stumbled in. “Morning Harry, did you sleep well? Would you like some tea, bacon?” He pointed to a platter piled with bacon and scrambled eggs. “It’s not Dobby’s cooking, but I promise it’s edible.” He smiled genially.

Smiling back at his new favorite adult, Harry began loading a plate. “Thank you Padfoot, you didn’t have to cook.”

“You’re welcome Harry. It gave me something to do, I wasn’t able to sleep. Been puttering around all night, trying to relax. I started breakfast about an hour ago, when I realised you’d be waking up soon.”

“I’m sorry you couldn’t sleep. You could have woken me if you wanted company.”

“Nah, best to let you sleep. If I fall overboard from lack, I want you aware enough to notice, and rescue me.” He grinned.

Harry gave him the stink eye. “Don’t you dare. I don’t know if I could jump in the water out here without panicking.”

“Still some work there heh.” Sirius grinned. “Not to worry, we’ll get you there, even if it takes a while.”

As Harry moved to the small table, Sirius came to join him, setting a cup of tea down in front of the young wizard. Harry smiled warmly. Sirius often did things like this he had found in the last several days. Making him tea without Harry having to ask, reassuring him when he was worried, even just sitting and talking about whatever subjects came to mind. It was both reassuring to find that the man always wanted to be around him, and somehow emotionally filling, as though something had been missing and now wasn’t. It was hard for Harry to explain in words, it just felt right that this man he hardly knew was here.

Not sure how else to express his thoughts, he tried the simplest, most easily said thing he could think of to convey his feelings. “Thank you Padfoot.” And the man seemed to understand that it was for more than just breakfast, or tea.

Seating himself across from Harry, Sirius took a sip of his own tea. “One good thing did come of my not being able to sleep at least.”

“What’s that?” Harry asked quickly swallowing a bite of egg.

“Well, not only was I able to keep watch, I also managed to recall all my lessons on occlumency. Both those taught to me, and from when your dad and I taught your mom.”

Harry grinned around a bite of bacon. Did that mean his lesson would start soon, he wondered.

Sirius meanwhile continued speaking. “Which means, since we have some time, while we wait for Dobby to give us the all clear, we can begin training you, if you want.”

Throwing a fist in the air and whooping, Harry cried. “Yes!” Then he sobered a little and sat down quickly. “That is, if you’re okay with it.”

Sirius chuckled. “Harry, I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. We’ll start when you finish eating.”

Harry rushed through the meal, eager to get started. An hour later he decided he could have taken a little more time. Learning occlumency was proving to be quite dull. It started with a ten minute lecture on the importance of emotional control. It did hold a lovely analogy about the sea, and how he could be like it. Calm and impenetrable, like the surface, but able to shift to a raging trap for the incautious at a moments notice.

Then they went into meditation for a bit, not into the mind palace, but rather a form of meditation in which they tried not to let any emotion in. That was really difficult for Harry, but Sirius explained that it took time to develop the kind of control that occlumency called for, so at least he didn’t feel too bad that he hadn’t managed it right away. That ended with Sirius recommending that he do that meditation for ten minutes each day, and that if he did it right before sleep, it would help him get to sleep, and have nicer dreams.

Next, Sirius launched into an explanation of the changes he and James had made after Lilly taught them about mind palaces. Which was simple enough, adding a layer of protection around and in the house. He could envision it however he wanted, so long as the intent was to prevent anyone from getting in and seeing his memories without permission.

Sirius described his own defenses, as a means of explanation. Involving a brief discussion of wards, and how they work, what they do, so Harry could understand the references.

That led to a brief discussion of why they hadn’t set up any on the house at Refuge yet. Which Sirius sheepishly explained that in the excitement of finishing the house, and going shopping, he had forgotten. They made plans to do that right away when they got back

After some thought on the entire idea, Harry decided to add a forest around his house. Then make it so that any intruder would have to walk through the forest to get there. Then he added a wall around the house, after a moment's consideration, he made the wall look like a thick hedge, so hopefully anyone trying to intrude would think it was just part of the forest and go around, rather than trying to get in. That made him think about animals, could he have, say a herd of unicorns guarding his mind? Or maybe a dragon.

Coming out of his meditation he turned to Sirius and quietly broke into the man’s deep thoughts. “Sirius?” He called gently. “Sirius?”

After a moment his godfather blinked and turned to him. “Yes Harry? Did you have a question?”

He still seemed a little, whatever the word for lost in meditation was, so Harry pointed to his teacup. “I was wondering about placing guards around my palace. Say like a herd of dangerous animals, or maybe one really dangerous one, like a dragon.”

Sirius blinked rapidly several times, then reached for his tea and took a long pull. “I, umm,” he stammered, “wow, that never occurred to me, or your dad, or your mum.” He stumbled over the words as he spoke. “I, umm, yeah. I think that would work, we’d need to try it to be sure, test it a little, or maybe a lot. But it should serve to scare most people out of your head if they try. Assuming you get the appearance of the animal correct. So unless you’ve seen a dragon up close and can be sure that you’re getting it’s look and movement right, I wouldn’t go with that.”

“I actually have seen a dragon up close. Even got to pet it a little.”

Sirius spit tea out of his nose, then jumped and cried that it burned for several long breaths. When he calmed, and cleaned himself, he turned an incredulous look on Harry. “When, did you see a dragon, up close enough that you could touch it?” After a heartbeat, and before Harry could respond, he added. “And why wasn’t I invited?”

“It was first year, and I didn’t know you yet.” Harry answered tremulously.

Sirius’ incredulous look deepened. “How did you meet a dragon in your first year?”

So Harry told his godfather about Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback, and how it led to a detention in the forbidden forest. Which led to a rather frank explanation of meeting Voldemort for the first time. That had Sirius shaking his head and demanding more explanation. In the end, Harry had to go back and explain almost everything about his first year. Getting on the quidditch team, which Sirius crowed about. The troll at Halloween, which had Sirius rolling at the end and congratulating Harry on a great way to make friends. Their belief that Snape had been trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, which Sirius agreed with. All the way to making their way through the trap door under Fluffy, and what Harry had found at the end, under Quirrel’s turban.

When he finished the story, Sirius was pale. “Wow pup, you did all that, in your first year. That’s incredible. Your dad would be so proud, and scared. I know, cause I am. Proud, and scared.”

Not sure how to respond to that, Harry slowly paced over to his godfather to wrap the man in a hug. Maybe he shouldn’t mention his second year, in some ways it had been worse than his first. But it was too late to worry about that.

Sirius clung to his godson, grateful for the chance to feel that he was there, he was safe, and in one piece. The tale of his first year at Hogwarts was horrifying. The worst of it being the confirmation that Voldemort was still alive. The voices of the death eaters he had been locked up with echoed in his mind. “He’s still out there, he’ll come to save us, you’ll see he’s not gone.” He had always dismissed them as the ranting of lunatics, but now they took on a darker more sinister meaning. What did those death eaters know that he didn’t. And did anyone know, was there anyone who could do anything about it? From what Dumbledore had told Harry it was difficult to say if he knew anything, but then that should be expected. Dumbledore was always short on the details with everyone, and with an eleven year old, he’d be even more recalcitrant than usual.

When he at last had himself under control he took hold of Harry’s shoulders and turned him to look in the boys eyes. “Okay, tell me about your second year. Hopefully it was better than the first, so I can stop having a heart attack.”

Harry gulped, he knew, and he couldn’t lie to his godfather. Not after everything the man had done for him. Nodding he pressed the teacup back into Sirius’ hand, then remembered the reaction last time and laid a hand over the top of the cup before Sirius could take a sip.

“In my second year, I fought a basilisk.” He said dryly and watched Sirius’ reaction.

The man paled, and lowered the teacup to his lap. “That’s not nearly enough detail Harry. But thank you for preventing me from snorting hot tea from my nose again, that was uncomfortable.”

Harry snorted at the understatement. It had been a while since the last time he had snorted anything out his nose, but it had been a lot more than uncomfortable. Sitting back down he began the tale of his second year. Starting with how Dobby had stolen his mail and locked he and Ron out of Platform 9 ¾. The attack on Mrs. Norris at Halloween. The dueling club, and the discovery that he was a parselmouth. Finding the diary over christmas, Hermione being attacked and discovering the identity of the creature. Then the disappearance of Ginny Weasley and he and Ron’s adventure to rescue his little sister. The fight with Riddle and the Basilisk, along with what the teenage Voldemort had revealed.

When he finished, Sirius was even more pale, but grinning widely. “Harry, do you know what this means?”

Harry considered the question for a moment, not wanting to disappoint his godfather, but had to concede that he had no idea what Sirius was talking about. “Not really, what?”

Sirius shook his head to clear it, and Harry was pleased to see some color returning to his cheeks. “Well, a lot really, but two things I think are important. First, and probably most important. We know enough of old Moldies history to start some real research. That was always one of our biggest problems before, we didn’t know enough about who he was to look into him properly.”

Harry blinked in confusion. “But Dumbledore knew. He told me it wasn’t common knowledge, but he knew. Why wouldn’t he tell you?”

Sirius snorted. “Well, that’s Dumbledore for you. He never tells anyone more than the barest elements of his plans and thinking. Keeps as much to himself as he can get away with. Remember we didn’t learn about the prophecy until your mom wheedled it out of Snivelly.”

Sirius stroked his chin for a moment in thought before continuing. “Now that you mention it though, that does seem like something that ought to have been shared. We could have lessened the fear surrounding him with that. And maybe even made a dent in his support. A lot of the purebloods would have ignored him if they knew he was a halfblood. I’m sure Dumbledore had his reasons, but damned if I can figure out how that getting out would have hurt his plans.”

“The only thing I can think of, would be that he wanted Voldemort in power for some reason. But why would he want that?” Harry asked, confused.

Sirius shot him a quizzical look. “Nothing I can think, well, nothing good. The only thing that makes sense would be that he wanted to defeat another dark lord. He got a lot of power and prestige when he beat Grindelwald. I suppose it’s possible that he saw his influence waning and wanted some of it back. But that seems rather callous, which is something Dumbledore never struck me as being. The man is a lot of things, and god’s know I hate that he left me in prison without trial while sending you off to those people. But I don’t think he would just allow what the death eaters did, for any reason.”

For a few seconds they sat staring at the ocean, and each other, until Harry remembered something. “What’s the second thing? You said there were two important things about my second year.”

Sirius grunted, then grinned. “The second thing isn’t nearly so mind wrenching. Dragon Slayer’s right. It’s an old law, put simply, you have all rights to the Basilisk’s corpse, because you killed it.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s hide, makes the best armor you can ask for. Even better than dragon hide. Blood, venom, other parts, can be used in potions and would sell for a lot. The meat is considered a delicacy. Never had it myself, but when I was taken away, it was selling at four galleons an ounce. Bones are probably good for something too, but I don’t know what. Actually, I can think of a few things. How big did you say it was again?”

“Umm, I’m not sure, it was really, really big. Taller than me, by a lot. And longer than the room we were in, which was as big as the great hall, I think.”

Sirius considered that for a moment. “We’ll need to get down there and get a proper look at it then. And it would likely take more than just the two of us to render it down. Unless we’re okay with it taking a few days. Hmm.” He ruffled his hair as he thought. “I wouldn’t normally do it. The goblins charge more than anyone else does, and it’s not like they actually do better work. But, they are discreet, and would do it without revealing our involvement. And they could have it done in just a day or two. Then take care of the sales as well.” He paused and looked up to Harry. “How do you feel about letting a group of goblins into the Chamber to render the thing down and sell it for us?”

“I suppose I could do that. But how would we get into Hogwarts? Especially if we have to lead a group of goblins in?”

“Leave that to me pup. We’ll need to arrange a meeting though, and we’ll want to avoid going into the bank for it if we can. So expect it to take a couple of days. In the meantime, we’ll get the wards up, and work on animagus training and occlumency.”

They chatted briefly about how much money Sirius thought Harry might get for the Basilisk corpse, before settling down to continue their meditations.

Dobby finally showed up around lunchtime. He even brought food with him. “Master Harry Potter Sir and Master Puppy Sir.” He called from the cabin. “Dobby has lunch Sirs, and Masters letter from Professor Goatsie. Also, Dobby is pleased to announce that no person has come near the Refuge since Masters left.”

Harry and Sirius nearly fell off their seats, startled at the sudden appearance and speech.

Sirius found his voice first. “Thank you Dobby. Well done. We’ll take our meal down in the mess.” Then he leaned over to help Harry to his feet.

Over lunch they discussed plans for the day, and what wards they wanted around the house. Muggle and Wizard repelling both would be good they decided, along with a few to protect the house from the weather. They discussed the fidelius, but decided against it, as it interferes with certain other wards they wanted, and since no one knew about the place anyway, it wouldn’t really make much difference.

After lunch, Sirius got them moving, while Harry sat down and read Dumbledore’s letter.

Dear Harry,

I understand from Miss Granger that you are concerned that the burst of accidental magical which led to the unfortunate transformation of your relatives, has led to your expulsion. I can assure you my dear boy, that nothing could be further from the truth. You are of course most welcome to return to Hogwarts.

Harry paused in his reading. How did the headmaster know what he had told Hermione? She hadn’t mentioned talking to him. She had spoken with Mcgonagall though, maybe Dumbledore heard it from her. With a shake of his head and a promise to himself to ask Hermione about it he returned to the letter.

I also am told that you have met and are spending time with, your godfather. I do not know who this person is, but I can assure you that they are lying to you. I did not wish to tell you this, as I do not wish to cause you further heartache. However, your godfather is none other than Sirius Black, a rather insane death eater, who has recently escaped from prison, I believe with the intent to cause you great harm. He was responsible for the death of your parents my dear boy, as it was he who told Voldemort where to find them. I myself gave evidence of his guilt at his hearing, thus I can assure you that I know what I am speaking of. It was only by great luck that I was able to remove you from his path before he arrived that night to finish his masters work.

Again Harry paused from reading to shake his head. Clearly Dumbledore bought into the lies about Sirius. But wait, Dumbledore gave evidence against Sirius. How could he? 

I know that you are frightened, but I can assure you that you have nothing to fear. The Aurors who are looking for you want only to return you to safety. I have spoken with the Dursleys and they have agreed that tempers got out of control, and you will be allowed to return to them next summer. In the meantime, the Weasley’s have kindly offered to open their home to you for the remainder of the summer holidays.

I implore you, my dear boy, to return to us. I promise you will be safe. As for whoever you are with, they are either lying about who they are, or about their intentions, and I urge you to get away as quickly as you can. In any case, I look forward to seeing you at the start of term on September first.

Sincerely,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Slowly, Harry laid the letter on the table and reached for his tea. There hadn’t really been anything new in Dumbledore’s letter. Except that he knew things without any clear way for him to know them. Which, when Harry thought about it, was fairly normal for the headmaster. He always seemed to know everything. But there was the one bit of information that seemed really important. Dumbledore had testified against Sirius, at a hearing. Except, Sirius didn’t remember a hearing. He had said there were some holes in his memory though. Maybe that was one of them.

Rising slowly, he nodded. He would show the letter to Sirius and see what he had to say.

Sirius however was busy with guiding the Shark’s Kiss back to Refuge, so the talk about the letter from Dumbledore would have to wait. Knowing they would be an hour or more before they got back, Harry returned to the small table and began to compose letters to Ron and Hermione. Halfway through, though he realised that he needed something else for Hermione’s letter, and instead began copying down everything Sirius had told him about mind palaces, occlumency, and history. He finished just as they reached the dock.

Once they got back Harry handed Dumbledore's letter to Sirius and sank into a seat at the kitchen table to finish his letter to Ron.

Ron,

Yeah, I heard the same thing from Hermione and the headmaster. So maybe I will be okay to come back. I’m not sure yet if I believe them, or if I want to come back though. My godfather is Sirius Black. Sirius has been nothing but kind to me all summer. So, I don’t think what they’ve been saying about him is right. Both Hermione and the headmaster seem to think he’s after me. Except, we’ve been together for weeks now and he hasn’t done anything to me. He’s even been teaching me things, like how to survive in the wild, and how to protect myself from Voldemort. Tell your dad that Sirius wasn’t given a trial, ask if that’s normal. Like I said before, he’s lots better than the Dursleys, so I want to stay with him. But if he’s still hiding from the Aurors, it will be difficult for me to come back to Hogwarts. Everyone will be asking where he is, and I won’t give him up. Which probably will still get me expelled. I don’t know what to do.

Harry

When he looked up Sirius was staring at him.

“I’d say this is pretty damning.” Sirius started, speaking carefully. “Except, it’s basically the same as what Hermione wrote, and we’ve already been over that.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, but what about what he said about testifying?” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “He said he gave evidence at your hearing.” Harry went over and pointed out the sentence.

“Hmm, I didn’t notice that. That does seem odd. I don’t recall a hearing at all.” His brow scrunched, and Harry recognised the face the man often made when he was searching through his mind palace for something he had forgotten where to find. After a few minutes he came back to himself, swearing. “That goat tossing old codger!” Sirius exclaimed, lunging to his feet. “I’ll kill him, I’ll beat him bloody, I’ll..” He slumped back into his seat. Turning he stared at Harry with unseeing eyes for several heartbeats. “Albus is the reason I didn’t get a trial.” This was said in a flat, emotionless voice. Then Sirius fell forward, cradling his head on his arms. Harry was worried when he heard the man begin weeping softly.

For long minutes the kitchen was quiet except for the sound of Sirius crying softly and Harry whispering comforting words to his godfather, hoping to pull the man out of his slump.

When at last Sirius raised his head again, his eyes were red and puffy. Harry, unsure of himself, asked softly. “Do you want to talk about it? Should I get some tea?”

Before Sirius could answer Dobby set the tea tray on the table and began passing out mugs. “Master asked for tea?” The little elf said quietly. “Dobby added calming draught to Master Padfoots.” Dobby’s eyes widened slightly, but he smiled as Sirius nodded his thanks.

After a long pull Sirius sat back and closed his eyes. A deep breath and he began to speak. “I’m going to assume that you don’t know what obliviation is Harry. It’s a spell that removes, or hides a memory. It’s used extensively to cover breaches of the statute of secrecy. It is also sometimes used as a healing aid when something traumatic happens. It is illegal in almost every other circumstance. And breaking through one is incredibly difficult. Before it can even begin, you have to have a reason to question what you remember. After that, it usually takes months of effort to break down the blocks. Apparently there is an extra benefit to the mind palace. As I searched for the missing memory, I found a patch of wall where the plaster was peeling. When I pulled it aside, I found what was missing.”

Sirius sighed heavily, and without opening his eyes, picked up his mug and took another long drink. “It wasn’t a hearing. I was brought in when I was arrested. Sat before Barty Crouch, the head of the D.M.L.E. and before he had even started, Dumbledore came striding in. He told Crouch that I was the Potters secret keeper and thus the reason they were dead. That I was seen at the house where they were killed, with the intent to harm you, and that I was clearly an unmarked death eater. After that, Crouch had me shipped off to Azkaban.”

He finally opened his eyes and turned to look at Harry. “I’d wonder at why he obliviated me, hiding that fact away, but I think I can guess. He took you to your aunt's house that night, or very soon. As your godfather, I am your legal guardian. I could have challenged him, forced him to hand you over or face prison himself. And on the off chance that I ever broke out, or if you discovered something that got me out. He could take charge of it, and with the fact that it was him that put me there in the first place hidden. He could claim anything he wanted, and then use his involvement in my freedom to convince me to leave you there. The only question I can think of is, why? Why did he want you there, what was so important about it?”

Harry shrugged, he had no idea either. “Maybe we could ask him?” He offered.

Sirius smiled grimly. “We could, but I doubt he would give us a straight answer. No, better to look into it for ourselves. At least then if we get something wrong, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.” 

Harry smiled, then pushed the letter to Ron towards his godfather. “This one is for Ron. Do you want to check it to be sure I haven’t said anything I shouldn’t?”

Sirius chuckled. “No, that’s fine. Although, if you decide to write to Dumbledore, I might check that one.” He winked. “Go on, finish your letters. I’ll get the things together so we can start warding the house when your done.”

Turning back to the small pile of parchment Harry pulled a sheet to him and began to write to Hermione. Then he paused and looked up. “Hey Sirius, he called as the man was leaving the room.”

“Yeah pup?” Sirius asked leaning back to look at Harry.

“If she promises not to tell anyone, could I invite Hermione and her mom out here? Hermione’s parents are muggles, so she can’t do any magic at home. And her mom wants to see what she’s learning. I was thinking since the trace won’t reach out here, they could come visit and Hermione could show off a bit.” He bit his lip, unsure of Sirius’ reaction, but wanting to know.

Sirius considered the question. It would be dangerous, but then, what wasn’t. And more importantly, what was the point in living if all you did was hide away. Some precautions would need to be taken, but if they planned it right, they could avoid the dangers. Smiling he nodded to Harry. “We’ll need to plan it out, but yes. I don’t see any reason not to invite your friend to visit.”

Harry leaped and cheered, running to wrap Sirius in a hug. “Thank you Padfoot, thank you.” He said several times before he got himself back under control. Then he returned to the table and began to write.

Hermione,

Sirius Black is my godfather, with whom I have been living for many days now. He is nothing like what the papers or Dumbledore describe. He was framed, and sent to prison without trial. By the headmaster no less, yes Hermione, you read that right. Our headmaster sent my godfather to prison without trial. And we, Sirius and I, think he did it so he could control me. I think what he did, sending me to the Dursleys might have been illegal, and Sirius could have stopped it. So he sent Sirius away. That way, he would be the only person who could decide where I lived. We’re still trying to figure out why though. And I want to know why he never checked up on me. Why if he was supposed to be responsible for me, he left me living in a cupboard.

As for what you found about the trace, yeah, Sirius said the same thing. Although he said the law was written for the sole purpose of giving purebloods an advantage. So you’re right about that. We have a place that’s safe though, and I can do all the magic I want here. I asked Sirius, and he agreed. You can come visit us here if you want. You can’t tell anyone though. If Sirius is caught they’ll take him away, and probably kill him. And I can’t risk that, he’s my only way to get free of the Dursleys, I don’t ever want to go back there. And Dumbledore is already talking about sending me back no matter what I want. So you can’t tell anyone. Send me your phone number, we’re close to a muggle village so I can call you when we’re there next and make arrangements.

I don’t think I’ll be staying with Ron. It sounds like the Weasley’s might be with Dumbledore about me going back to the Dursleys. Besides, I really like it here, and I want to spend the time with Sirius. I haven’t gotten to live with him like Ron or you have with your parents. I might invite them to come visit too though, if they stop supporting the idea of sending me back there.

I’ve included the notes I promised on history. Also on mind palace construction. You may have heard of it, it’s a muggle thing. My mom taught Sirius and my dad. It really helps with memory, I’m actually sitting here reading your last letter in my mind as I write this. And I can recall most of the lectures from last year almost perfectly, along with every piece of homework I’ve written. I wrote down what Sirius told me and what I figured out as I did it, so you can try to, if you haven’t already. The last page is occlumency, which is a means of protecting your mind from intrusion. There’s this ability called legilimency, apparently the best form of mental intrusion, but not the only one. Anyway, it allows the user to see the memories of anyone they use it on. Unless that person is good at occlumency. Sirius is teaching me that, so I wrote down everything he’s said so far, and my own experience in practice. We only just started this morning so there isn’t much but I’m including it anyway, because I know you’re going to ask. I’ll send more with my next letter.

Oh, I don’t think I’ll be in Diagon, but Ron will. He’s planning on the same day as you. As of now, I’m not sure about Hogwarts. It will depend on what happens. Sirius is innocent, but if the Ministry refuses to acknowledge that, then I can’t go back. They’ll hound me until I tell them where he is, or maybe stick me in prison too. Hopefully we can get things worked out, but right now it doesn’t look very good.

Sorry.

Love,

Harry

With letters written, Harry went to join Sirius in setting up the wards on the house.

Before they went to bed, Sirius added a letter to Longhorn to the stack that Hedwig left with.


	14. Chapter 14

Wednesday 17 July

As the breakfast dishes were cleared away by Dobby, Sirius turned to address his godson. “Harry, I realised something this morning. Can you guess what it was?”

Harry, being only mostly awake, scratched his head and considered his options. He could lie and say that of course he could read Sirius mind. The man would see right through it, but might consider it a great joke and laugh. He could be honest and admit that he has no clue, but that would lead to an explanation, which was liable to be boring, and possibly put him back to sleep. Or he could try to divert Sirius’ attention and bring it back up later when he was feeling more lively. He liked that idea.

“Couldn’t say, I had a dream about flying though. Could we do that today?” He smiled innocently.

Sirius chortled. “Nice try Harry, really very nicely done. Unfortunately, you’ve been hiding yawns since we sat down, and I can see through an innocent smile from a mile away. Though, you did bring up something important.”

Harry groaned, damn, the explanation was coming. “Okay, okay, but can I have some more tea first. I’m not entirely awake yet.” Before he finished speaking, Dobby placed a mug in front of him.

“New drink Dobby found, maybe will help Master Harry Potter Sir.” The elf wrung his hands and watched as Harry lifted the mug to try a sip.

Slurp. Harry took a dainty taste of the warm brown liquid. Then he blinked, stared at the mug for a moment, and took a longer sip. Rolling the drink around his tongue he considered it. Chocolatey, but not cocoa, a little bit of a bitter hint, and something about it just perked his sense’s. Turning to the elf he smiled broadly. “This is nice Dobby. What is it?”

“Is called cafe and cocoa. Dobby heard of it while shopping Sir. Dobby thought young Master might like it, on mornings when he is having trouble. It is half strong coffee, and half hot cocoa.”

Harry enjoyed another long drink as Dobby explained. “It’s wonderful Dobby, just what I needed. Thank you.”

“You are most welcome Master Harry Potter Sir.” Dobby cried, bowing. Then he turned to Sirius. “Would Master Puppy like one too?”

“Wouldn’t hurt.” He replied. Then held up a hand, finger and thumb an inch or so apart. “Little smaller though, I’m not quite at the yawning stage.”

With another bow, Dobby popped away, and was back again in a thrice with a mug for Sirius.

“Wow, that is really good.” Sirius stated after taking a drink. “Thank you very much Dobby.” Dobby bowed again and popped away, beaming with pride. “Alright, enough stalling.” He turned to Harry. “There are two projects we have left to finish for Refuge. And I thought, two shopping trips, but you added one, so now there are three. Though I think we might do one by owl order.”

Harry wracked his mind, but could only think of one, “the boathouse.” He offered in a low voice. “I can’t think of any others.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t think I ever mentioned the other project, so I’ll let you off the hook on that one. We also need a workshop. We’ll put it a little bit down the beach. That way if we have any accidents in there, it won’t affect the house. As for shopping, we’ve talked about both, well, all three. One of them, you mentioned just a minute ago, and one of them, I’m a little mad at you for.”

Harry couldn’t help it, it was reflex. When Sirius said he was mad, Harry flinched. Then he held himself very still, maybe Sirius hadn’t noticed.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Harry, I’m not that pig you used to live with. The only way I’ll ever hit you is if we’re practising boxing or something like that. Never in anger.” He had noticed.

Harry slumped down in his seat, a little ashamed of himself. Why did he have to react that way to simple words? He asked himself.

But Sirius wasn’t finished, and the drone of his voice soon cut through Harry’s thoughts. “I mentioned a while ago that I need a new bike. And just a couple days ago, we were looking at those water bike things, we really need to learn the name of those. We were going to look at them when we went shopping last, but we forgot. And just now, you mentioned flying, which brings up the problem that I don’t have a broom.” He cocked an eyebrow as though to request an argument.

Again, Harry couldn’t help it, it was natural, it was just like breathing, and Sirius looked so very funny, with a chocolate moustache and one eyebrow up in an arch, he giggled.

Sirius smiled, then mockingly jerked back as though offended. He raised a hand to his chest and his best pompous voice proclaimed. “Ah, laughing at me. I am wounded. I must avenge myself upon your person.” Then he flapped a hand at Harry, which only served to set off a fresh round of giggles.

This time, Sirius was unable to hold in his own laughter and the two dissolved into giggles and chortles, with occasional spurts of one or the other declaring vows of great vengeance in their most flamboyant manners to keep it going. They threatened to change each others hair color, clothing style, even the taste of their food, just to continue the joke. Until at last, exhausted and sweating they lay on the floor, having fallen at some point, staring up at the underside of the table.

“Padfoot?” Harry asked.

“Yes pup.” Sirius answered.

“Do you think we’ll be able to convince them to let us stay together?”

And Sirius heard the worry in his godsons voice. His heart broke a little at the sound, and he vowed to himself that he would never leave the boy again. “I don’t know Harry. But I do know that I will never let them take you away again. I will fight if I have to.”

This time, when Harry spoke, Sirius could hear the grin. “Thank you Padfoot, you’re a good godfather.” For a moment, it almost sounded like he was going to say more, but the silence held until he began to urge them both up. There were things to do today, and they wouldn’t get done by lying on the floor.

As they made their way out of the kitchen, Harry hid his blush. He had almost said something silly. Something embarrassing. He had almost told his godfather that he loved him, he wasn’t entirely sure why he hadn’t, aside from the fact that it would be embarrassing to do so. But he knew he wasn’t ready to say it out loud, just yet.

After a quick discussion they agreed that they would need to acquire the water bikes, or whatever they were called, before they could build the boathouse, since they weren’t sure how big to make the building without them. So they decided to get the workshop built today.

After the house, this was rather easy Harry thought. They began by sinking support beams, rather like the deck. They debated for a minute to leave the floor open, so it would just be the sand. In the end though they added a floor, a few inches above the beach, as that would add stability when they were working.

Harry tried to argue against a brewing station, thanks to Snape he had no love of potions, but Sirius overruled him.

“Don’t let Snivellus ruin the subject for you.” He admonished. “Potions are incredibly useful. Knowing how to brew, and doing so regularly, can save your life. I can’t count the number of times your mom saved us with potions. It’s also how we started the animagus process, never mind that you’re using a different method. Mooney was the only one of the Marauders that had no skill with a cauldron. We used to tease him about it, told him he could melt a cauldron by looking at it. Since Snape clearly isn’t teaching you right, I’ll teach you.”

With that said, Harry ceased to argue against the brewing area and instead recommended that they get a large cabinet for ingredients and enchant it against the weather, and to preserve the ingredients so they would keep longer. Which Sirius agreed with heartily, it would be added to their next excursion.

Opposite the brewing area, Sirius built a small ramp onto a low table, which he explained was where he would work on motorcycles once he had them. One for each of them, so he could teach Harry to ride. Though he would only be able to ride on the island for now. The muggles have laws against people riding before a certain age, he explained, though he wasn’t sure what the age was, he’d have to check on that. It had been eighteen before, but may have changed.

Speaking of a bike repair area, when he had finished that, Sirius pointed next to the workshop and said they would need a garage to store the bikes in when they weren’t in use. But he would add that once they had bikes.

The last part of the workshop went in the center of the back wall. It looked to Harry like a woodworking area, though Sirius described it as his hall of creation. Then explained that he would use it to build and repair some of the musical instruments he was familiar with.

Despite the ease with which they were able to build the little workshop, it still took time. As they finished the last steps, the sun was dipping low on the horizon. And their stomachs were telling them that it had been a long time since lunch.


	15. Chapter 15

Thursday 18 July

The engine of the Shark’s Kiss rumbled in protest as they bumped against the dock at Portstewart. They had seen more of the water bikes on their way in, which was good, they had no excuse for forgetting to have a closer look at them today.

However that was not the first thing on their list. “Alright, so, what are we after Harry?”

“Didn’t we go over this, three times, before we left?” Harry laughed at his godfathers determination not to forget anything this time. When the man mock glowered at him, he conceded and began to recite the list. “First, storage cabinet for the workshop. Second, motorbike. Third, water bike, or whatever it’s called.”

“Excellent memory Harry. Mind palace working well for you then.” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead striding past and up to the waiting dock master to pay the docking fee. “Shall we get going then?” He asked when the paperwork was finished.

The cabinet was simple. They went to the furniture shop they had now visited multiple times, selected the largest cabinet they had available, and paid for it to be delivered to the dock.

Then it was off to look at motorbikes. The only shop in town to carry them was near the end of the road, almost out of town proper. But they had a large selection, and Sirius acted a bit like a kid in a candy store, Harry thought.

Among the first things Sirius did upon entering the shop was to race over to one of the display bikes and hop onto it. With a contented sigh, he relaxed into the seat, hands resting gently on the bars. His eyes closed and Harry could almost see the wind whipping through his hair, that the man was clearly picturing.

As Harry looked on, and Sirius raced through a daydream, the shop clerk wandered up to them. “Good morning.” She said with a smile, offering a hand to Harry. “You’re father seems a little lost in the moment.”

Her smile, Harry decided as he shook the offered hand, was infectious, and he felt his own grow in response. “He’s been yammering about getting a new bike for a while.” He whispered confidentially.

“I can hear you.” Sirius said dryly. “And you’re ruining my daydream.” He shook his head a little to clear it, and smiled back at Harry and the clerk.

Broadening her smile the clerk faced Sirius. “Well, you’ve picked a fine bike to daydream on.” She said cheerfully. “The Triumph Bonneville T150 model. It won Machine of the Year in ‘79. Are you looking to buy today, or just looking?”

Sirius brought his hand down from the handle to caress the frame and stroke a finger across the tank. “I used to own this model.” He said, a loving whisper to his voice. “Not sure who has it now, I loaned it to a friend. I’ll have to get in touch, I may still be able to get it back. So, just looking at this one.” He hopped off the bike and stepped over towards the other models lined up on the floor. “I’ve always wanted a Velocette Viper, don’t suppose you have one?” He asked as he looked over the line of bikes with a keen eye.

“You know your bikes.” The clerk said appreciatively. “Well, I regret that we do not have a Viper at the moment, though if you would like to sign up for our mailing list, I can let you know if we ever do get one. In the meantime, we do have a selection of classics if that’s what your most interested in.” She motioned to another line of bikes, these having the look of older designs, a few with some evident signs of use. “As you can see, some of these are used, however each one has been restored to factory condition, apart from minor aesthetic marks, which have been left as a legacy of the bikes history.” 

She stopped by a short, solid black bike, the words, Royal Enfield, emblazoned on the side of the tank. Looking it over, Harry saw a few dings and scratches on the handlebars, and running down the front framework. Though each seemed to be clean and freshly scoured to gleaming perfection.

“This,” she proclaimed proudly, “is the very bike seen in Friday the 13th. You can see the scratches it got during the making of the film. When we managed to acquire it, we restored it of course, but kept the marks of it’s time on set.” She turned and waved a hand over the row of bikes, each one gleaming with new chrome, paint, and leather. “Each of these has a history. Something they have been a part of. And each one comes with a certification from one of our top restorative artists, that it is in top form.”

She smiled warmly. “Of course, if you’re looking for something a little less heavy on the budget, more for simple day driving, we have many bikes to fit that need as well. No need to break the bank, just to enjoy a good ride.”

Sirius returned the smile. “You are speaking my language my lady.” He said with a little half bow. “These are truly beautiful bikes, but for now, I’m more in the market for something I can ride around, and tinker on.”

“Right this way.” The clerk offered pointing to a row of bikes in the back of the shop.

Harry made to follow, but his attention was caught by a flash of chrome. At the far end of the line of classic bikes, was an oddity, at least to Harry who had never really seen many motorbikes. It sat a little taller than the other bikes around it. Or maybe it just appeared taller, as the chrome frame seemed to stretch well above where the frames of the other bikes stopped. The seat appeared to be a sturdy black leather, and the tank and rims had also been painted black. Except for the sides of the tank, which were white, with a large M towards the front. It was fascinating to look at.

Noticing that he was not behind them, the adults turned to see what had caught his attention. Sirius smiled, recognising the look in his godsons eye. The clerk stepped back to him, ready to explain what he was looking at.

“The Matchless Silver Hawk.” She said as she came to a stop next to him. Designed back in the ‘20’s it wasn’t released until 1930, one of two luxury rides introduced that year. Never sold well unfortunately. I blame the war, cut into everyone’s budgets. Production ended before it could really take off, but it’s a favorite classic.” Smile widening she motioned to the bike. “You’re welcome to sit on it if you like, see if you like the feel of it. Though I daresay you might be a bit young yet for riding on your own.”

Harry smiled sheepishly, and glanced at Sirius, who was waving for him to go ahead. Nervously he approached the bike and following Sirius’ example with the Triumph, swung one leg over the bike to settle himself on the seat.

To his surprise it was more comfortable than he had expected. Though he had to lean far forward to reach the handles. The clerk was right he thought, he would need to grow a bit more before he would be ready to handle a full size bike. Maybe they would have something sized for someone smaller, like a training bike. He hated the thought as it came to him, but couldn’t deny the reality, not while seated on a regular size bike anyway.

After a moment he nodded and climbed off the bike. Turning to the clerk he steeled himself, and asked. “You’re right, I’ll need to grow a bit before I could handle anything like that. Do you maybe have something smaller that I can learn on?”

Behind the clerk Harry watched as Sirius reigned in his enthusiasm and instead did a silent happy dance, giving him a thumbs up. Meanwhile the clerk was explaining that they did indeed have learners models, and that she would be happy to show them off for him, and even help him pick out the model best suited to his needs.

They ended up spending close to three hours in the shop, looking at all the different models, before Sirius finally settled on an Ariel W/NG 350, which he said would be perfect for the beach, and allowed him plenty of forgiveness to tinker. While Harry settled on what the clerk called a pocket bike, a small honda that could only manage about forty mph, would handle the beach well enough, and would be perfect for him to learn to ride on. Sirius named it the Little Wonder, and promised to paint the name on the side of the bike when they got home.

The honda had to be delivered to the Shark’s Kiss, but Sirius elected to ride his out of the shop, Harry sat behind him, holding on for dear life.

Their next stop was back at the boat shop, looking for the elusive water bikes.

Jet Ski, they were called jet skis. It took almost twenty minutes of describing to the shop’s owner what they were looking for before confusion left the mans face to be replaced with understanding. He gestured to a sign over one wall of the shop. The sign had Ski Doo printed in large letters, and a tiny picture of someone riding the small craft on a wave. That led to a quick explanation that while the craft were indeed called jet skis, ski doo was one of the makers of the craft.

After an explanation of how they worked, Sirius rented two of the tiny vessels and he and Harry took them out for some time on the waves.

At first, Harry was almost terrified of the things. They were almost as big as the motorbikes, and actually, in one sense, more dangerous. Less from the possibility of a crash, which would be more likely to leave them wet as opposed to horrifically injured. But because he still wasn’t a strong swimmer, and if he lost control of this thing and got tossed in the water, he wasn’t sure if he could get back on it.

After a bit though, he managed to relax, and found that the jet ski was really quite fun. He could zip across the waves, and turn in a tight arc, which if he planned it right, allowed him to send a huge wave right over Sirius’ head, soaking the man rather thoroughly. He could also, if he aimed right, zip up a wave and almost fly a little at the top before crashing back to the water. Again making a great splash and soaking poor Sirius. Though the fun part of that was more being in the air than the splashing. Of course, Sirius paid him back in kind for the soaking, but that too was part of the fun. He did fall off a few times, but he only panicked the first. Sirius came up beside him almost immediately and helped him back up. The second time he got himself back on the jet ski without help, and realised that as long as he kept his head, he was fine.

At the end of their time, Sirius purchased two of the jet skis, and a special harness for the Shark’s Kiss, which held the skis in place so they could carry them easily.

Pulling up to the dock as the sun set, they felt both accomplished, and satisfied about their day.


	16. Chapter 16

Friday 19 July

Little Wonder fairly flew across the sand as Harry tried to learn how to control it. He found that it handled far better on the packed earth between the trees than it did on the sandy soil of the beach. However, Sirius wanted him to stay close until he got good at controlling the bike. Which had proven to be far more difficult than Harry anticipated. He’d laid the thing down, which was what Sirius called it when the bike fell over with Harry on it, four times before he could manage more than five feet. Then another three times before he got to ten feet. 

Now after a couple of hours of steady work he was able to go back and forth along the beach line several times before he lost his balance again. Sirius just kept chuckling and prompting him to get back up and try again.

Sirius had spent the morning building the small garage where they would store the bikes. It had taken him a mere two hours, now he was in the workshop, doors open wide to let in the sunlight, bike up on the low table as he went over its engine looking for anything he could tune or adjust, while adding spells to insure it never ran out of fuel, and what he called fun charms. One of which would make it fly, just like a broomstick.

After lunch, they put the bikes away and got started on the boathouse. This took a bit longer than the garage as it had to be anchored, like the dock, in the sea bed. Which meant diving again. Harry was excited to get started.

The underwater world was just as intriguing, and colorful as before. The schools of fish darting away from them, small creatures Harry didn’t know the names for, crawling on the ocean floor, even an octopus slowly making its way along, exploring the new additions to its home. Harry was quick to point these things out to Sirius, who was a bit more focused on the work. Though he still stopped to smile appreciatively at the things Harry pointed out to him.

Harry noticed as the support beams were set into place, that Sirius tapped each one with his wand after it was set, causing the beam to glow briefly. When they left the water he asked what Sirius had done to them.

“Impervious charms, to protect them from the water. Normally, we could expect them to last around twenty years, give or take. With the charms, they’ll keep closer to fifty years. We’ll still need to check them regularly, but we shouldn’t have to replace them as often as muggles would.”

The boathouse itself, Harry learned as they built it, was open to the water, both on the end, where the Shark’s Kiss, and the jet skis could be brought inside, and the bottom. However several ropes were set up so that the ship and the skis could be pulled out of the water. This was so they could do any repairs or cleaning needed without having to swim around the ship while doing them. Because it was intended to support the Shark’s Kiss, which was limited in how close it could get to the shore, the boathouse had to be built way out on the end of the dock.

As they settled in for dinner, Harry’s eyes fell on the only unfurnished room left in the house, and he remembered meeting Mingstrom, the owner of the music shop, and the discussion they had about instruments.

“Sirius, you mentioned before about playing music. I completely spaced it, but when we were in town the second time, the shop where you bought the stereo. I met the owner, and he also sells instruments. Even agreed we could send Dobby to pick up an order if we needed to. But the only instrument I could think of that I knew you could play was the flute. I knew there was another you had mentioned, but I misrecalled it at the time, thought it was the piano. I remembered on the way home that it was the harpsichord, but you said there were others, but I don’t recall you ever saying what.”

Sirius had to blink several times, and run that speech back through his mind before he caught on properly. “Well, umm, I play a few different things. After I learned the guitar I really got into strings for a bit, learned most of them. I do actually play the piano, it’s not much different from the harpsichord, or the organ. But, why would he be okay with having Dobby pick up an order?” He cocked an eyebrow at Harry quizzically.

“Oh, umm, well he’s magical.” At Sirius’ stern look he gulped, and soon was telling Sirius the entire story. At the end Sirius was barking out laughs at the image of a group of Slytherins being told of one of their number choosing muggle society over magical.

Then he pointed to the music room and stated. “Well, I want a guitar, a violin, and a piano in there. Then you pick an instrument you want to learn. Hopefully, it’s one I know, but if not then we’ll get you some books on it. Wish we’d thought of it sooner, but oh well. We can head back in a couple days. We should hear back from Longhorn soon, so we can kill two birds with one stone, by shopping when we go to meet him.”

When Sirius recommended they take dinner in the sitting room, and enjoy a film while they eat, Harry surprised the older man by inviting Dobby to join them. After a moment of confusion he added his own invitation, and the three of them ended up on the sofa, a plate of food on each of their laps, watching Star Wars. Which, Sirius explained, had been both he and James’ favorite movies, and that Lilly had introduced them to the series.


	17. Chapter 17

Saturday 20 July

At breakfast Hedwig arrived with three replies. Glancing through them, Harry handed the one from Longhorn to Sirius and opened Rons.

Harry,

Wow mate, that’s really scary. Dad says that Black was sent to Azkaban for killing twelve muggles, and one wizard. His best friend even, some Peter guy. I asked about the trial thing, dad said it happened sometimes after the war ended. People they knew were guilty sometimes got sent away so they couldn’t buy their way out of it, or have their powerful friends get them off. I’m not sure what to think about Sirius, but I think you might be right, about them asking for where he’s hiding. I also asked the twins for help, they couldn’t do much, but the package with this letter is from them. It’s instant darkness powder, don’t know where they got it, but if you throw it in the air it shuts out the light for a while. Helpful for a quick getaway if you need it. I’ll keep asking around, see if I can find out anything else. Maybe Hermione will know something that can help.

Ron

Well, at least someone is on my side. Harry thought as he nibbled on his toast and reached for the second letter. He checked to be sure, and it was from Hermione.

Harry,

Oh Harry, I’m so sorry. That must be terrifying. I’m sure we can figure something out though. We’ll be back in the U.K. in a couple of days, so call me when you get the chance. If I don’t answer, just wait a day and try again. Afternoon or early evening is best. The number is 01632 960162. I can’t wait to come visit, you have to tell me everything.

Now, what do you mean, living in a cupboard? You’ve never mentioned anything like that before. Surely you don’t mean literally, living-in-a-cupboard. That would be extremely illegal Harry. If someone did that to you, they would belong in a prison. I hope you don’t mind, but my dad saw that and he threw a fit. He promised to have your relatives looked into if you want. I wouldn’t tell him their name though, unless you say it’s okay.

Thank you very much for the notes. I think I may have heard the term mind palace before, but I haven’t read anything about them. Since you mentioned it, I found three books on the topic though, and they all agree with what you sent me. Sirius must have a really good memory, which, if you can now remember our lectures and homework, I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. I’ve started the meditations, and I shared it with mom and dad too. Since it’s muggle they can do it too right? I’m not sure about the occlumency, it doesn’t sound like magic, but maybe you have to have magic to make it work. Or maybe Sirius will bring that up in a later lesson. If you don’t get it out of him before then, I’ll ask him when we visit.

Good luck with everything, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Hermione

Laying the letter to the side so it wouldn’t get food on it, Harry sighed and took a sip of tea. Looking over he saw that Sirius too was just finishing his letter.

“That was quick pup. I figured I’d be long done with mine before you finished. Seeing as you had two.”

“Ron writes really short letters, and even Hermione doesn’t get as wordy as Longhorn seems to be.” He motioned to the stack of parchment at Sirius’ side.

“Well, there’s more than just the meeting confirmation here.” Sirius said despairingly. “Family notices, vault content lists, rules for what I can and can’t do with the vaults of family members. There’s a lot. I’ll need to go through it thoroughly, make sure nothing’s changed since I’ve been out of the picture. We’ll need to head into town tomorrow to meet with Longhorn. He’s got a place for us to meet privately, above that little tea shop on the corner, just off the docks.” He stopped and sort of glanced around the dining room, without actually looking at anything, a confused look on his face. “And we have nothing to do today.” He said in a slow confused voice. “We actually have nothing on our to do list.” He looked up at Harry blinking.

“That’s right Padfoot.” Harry said in the kind of voice one uses around disturbed individuals. “We have a free day.”

All at once, Sirius was jumping up and down, whooping. “We have a free day.” He sang, and Harry understood what he had said about not being able to sing. The man’s voice, usually so mellow and charming, was like nails on a chalkboard. Grating, ear wrenching, painful to listen to. “We can do whatever we want, oh yeah.” He continued, now dancing around the room.

Harry covered his ears, wondering if they would begin bleeding if Sirius kept this up. “Sirius!” He cried, hoping to get the man's attention, but to no avail. The man kept dancing and singing about the freedom of a day with no chores. In a last ditch effort to save his ears before running, Harry pulled his wand and hit Sirius with a leg locker. It only took a second to have the desired effect. Sirius’ legs jerked together, sending the man toppling over. He grunted as his shoulder connected hard with the floor.

“Bloody he..ow.” Sirius cried out as he fell, then glared up at Harry. “I know my singing is bad Harry, but did you have to risk my face? I could have broken my nose.” He traded his glare for a mock pout.

Harry wanted to laugh, he really did, the mock pouting was very well done. Unfortunately, the memory of the singing was too close. He could still hear it, ringing in his head. It made him want to hex the man again. He settled for glaring. “Yes Padfoot, the singing was that bad. Please don’t do it again.” Then he smiled and stuck his nose cheekily into the air. “If you do,” he looked sideways down at Sirius, “I shall have to punish you in a further appropriate manner.” He added a haughty sniff for extra effect.

It worked, Sirius barked out a laugh and started rolling on the floor. After a minute he held up a hand. “Alright, alright, come help your poor godfather up. I left my wand on the table, cancel this leg locker at least.”

When he was loosed from the hex and seated properly again, he asked a very important question. “So, what do you want to do today? We could go for a swim, we could pull out the jet skis, ooh, we could work on the animagus training.” He gave Harry a meaning filled look. “We could categorize our library.” He said in a slow manner that Harry thought was meant to be enticing, but came across as rather worrying. “No, that’s more Mooney’s idea of a day off. Let’s leave that for now. Hmm, we can duel, we can work on the bikes. There really is just a lot. What’s your preference, Harry?”

Harry took a bite of egg to give himself time to think. “Well, a lot of that sounds fun. Umm, I guess..” He trailed off and took another bite. “Ooh, how about, we do the animagus thing until it gets warm, then we swim until lunch. After lunch we can watch a movie, then jet ski for a while?”

Sirius held up a hand chuckling. “Okay, okay, I get it. You want to do a little of everything.” Harry pinked slightly. “I like it, let’s go with that.” And Harry sat up a little straighter in his seat, and began wolfing down his breakfast.

They did indeed spend half the morning on animagus training. Harry was pleased to note that he was making progress. He couldn’t actually change his form yet, but the visualization exercises he had been doing daily since their first real discussion had led to a feeling of something, sort of moving through him. He thought it was his magic, trying to do, whatever it was that it needed to do, in order to cause the change he was trying to achieve. It started just a few days after he had begun practicing, but hadn’t been more than a feeble sort of fluttering. Now it was like a trickle across his skin, almost like the pins and needles you get when your arm goes to sleep, but less noticeable. And where before it had taken a good hour of meditation before it started, now it took only a few minutes. He thought maybe he would be able to change by the end of summer at this rate, though when he described the effect to Sirius, his godfather looked confused. Maybe it was different for him, maybe because he could already change, and was now trying to teach himself to change into other forms beyond just his dog form.

They decided against swimming though, and instead got the bikes out and went for a ride through the trees. Sirius even showed off a bit by making his fly, which Harry decided he was jealous of and almost stopped to get his Nimbus 2000, until Sirius came back down.

After lunch they decided to watch the Highlander, and for the rest of the day kept cracking there can be only one jokes at each other. They even had a mock sword fight.

The jet skis proved to be just as much fun on Refuge as they had been back at Portstewart, and Harry was getting more confident in the water as a bonus.

As evening rolled in they decided to have a grill out on the deck, and enjoy a meal in the open air. And when the sun set, they pulled out Harry’s telescope and Sirius began telling Harry the stories of the constellations, as he had heard them in his childhood.

They fell asleep there on the deck, still half upright, each with one hand on the telescope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple of short chapters again. Just didn't really have anything for a couple of days. Harry and Sirius are intentionally avoiding some of the heavier topics for a bit, in favor of fun. Tomorrow we have the big meeting with the goblins, which means important happenings.


	18. Chapter 18

Sunday 21 July

If Harry had not already known that the goblins kept their own schedule, today would have proven it. He hadn’t really looked at a calendar since he and Sirius had begun their adventure. So it surprised him a little when he saw the one hanging in the tea shop where they were meeting Longhorn, and it showed that the day was a Sunday.

He would not have expected to be able to do business on a Sunday, but clearly the goblins did not care about little things like bank holidays in the muggle world.

“Good morning.” Longhorn greeted them when they entered the private room the goblin had arranged. There were two other people seated at the table beside the goblin, which worried Harry.

Sirius on the other hand, nodded to each in turn, then asked. “Good morning manager Longhorn. I assume these are the two I requested in my missive?”

“They are Lord Black. I am hopeful we can get this taken care of today. You mentioned another piece of business though. Do you have a preference of order?”

“Might as well get the easiest out of the way first.” Sirius offered, motioning Harry to take a seat. “Harry, these two are here for you, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First, there is the Hogwarts things we talked about.” He turned his attention back to the goblin. “My godson killed a basilisk.”

A feral gleam entered Longhorn’s eye and the two humans each gasped. Longhorn turned to Harry. “Most impressive young Potter. May I inquire as to its size?”

Harry looked to Sirius, who nodded and motioned for him to speak. “It was, I think, about sixty feet long, maybe ten feet high.”

The three seated across from them went slack with shock. Just as Harry started to think he should say something, Longhorn blinked and sat back up. “Sixty feet you say? That is easily the largest on record. I assume you are speaking to me about it because you wish Gringotts to render the corpse for you?” He turned slightly to Sirius, not sure which of them would be answering the question.

Sirius nodded. “Yes that is correct.” He said, grinning. “The body is currently beneath Hogwarts. I was thinking we could sneak one of your people in with a portkey. Send the thing to a vault and have it rendered there.”

Longhorn grinned toothily. “That can be arranged, I can have someone available tomorrow evening if that is acceptable.”

Harry and Sirius nodded together, and Harry spoke. “That would be fine, thank you Longhorn.”

The goblin smiled widely. “You are most welcome Harry.” Then he turned to Sirius more fully. “So, I assume that is the extra bit of business. Why did you ask for a healer and a curse breaker? Both with no affiliation to Dumbledore?”

Sirisu waved a hand at Harry. “Some things came up in discussion. I discovered a memory block in my own head, quite by accident, when Harry asked a question about how I ended up in prison, without trial. The blocked memory was of the Chief Warlock, advising the head of Magical Law Enforcement to do so. I would like for both of us to be checked for any further tampering, and for a general health exam as well, just to be thorough. As for the curse breaker, I expect given the stories he’s told me about his childhood, that there is at least an owl ward on my godson. One that neither he nor I ever agreed to. There may be more, I don’t have the skill to check. I would like a full exam done, for both of us, just to be safe.”

Longhorn raised an eyebrow. “You realise that won’t be cheap?” He asked.

Sirius chuckled. “The Black vault will cover the cost, and it’s well worth the price.”

“Very well, in that case, allow me to make introductions.” He turned to the man on his left. “This is Healer Forthwith, from Germany. He has the highest qualifications available.” He turned to the man on his right. “And this is Curse Breaker Spanks, he joins us from the America’s where he has been working with our temple exploration teams.” He turned back to face Sirius. “They are here for today only. However I expect they will be able to make recommendations if further attention is required.”

Motioning for Harry and Sirius to join them, the two rose and moved to the side of the room where a pair of beds had been set up. Harry was pleased to see that they would be only a few feet from each other, so if he needed it, he would be able to look over at his godfather for support. Though he hoped he wouldn’t need it.

The healer began work on Harry, while the curse breaker went to Sirius.

Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to see what the curse breaker was doing, Harry’s attention was soon captured by the healer.

“Hello mister Potter.” Healer Forthwith said in a thick accent. “I am here to help you today. I will need some assistance from you in order to do so properly. I will ask a few questions as we go along, mostly for clarification of anything I find. For example, if I find a broken bone, I will ask how it got broken. When I ask such questions, I need you to answer them as honestly and completely as you can. The more information I have, and the more accurate it is, the better I can help you to heal properly. So you get to grow big and strong, like dad. Is good?”

Harry nodded rapidly. “Yes sir.” He was a little worried about what the man might ask him, but he wanted to get the best out of this he could. It sounded like Sirius would be spending a lot for this, and he didn’t want to seem like he was wasting Sirius’ money.

For the next several minutes, wands were waved, and notes were taken. Then Healer Forthwith sat down on a conjured stool and began to ask Harry about the various injuries he had catalogued. He started with the oldest, which were mostly from Dudley and his gang. Harry had to struggle through answering those, as he would have preferred that no one ever know how much his cousin had beaten him when he was younger. It made him feel weak to think about it, and he didn’t want anyone else to think of him that way, or to look at him with pity. He didn’t deserve pity.

Eventually he got to the injuries he had sustained since he came to the magical world though, and those were much easier to talk about. He shared a laugh with the healer even when he told him about Lockhart vanishing the bones in his arm. The man startled a bit when he mentioned the bite from the basilisk, and Fawkes crying into the wound, though he also seemed impressed that Harry had survived such a dangerous injury.

When they had gone over all the wounds, Forthwith raised his wand and a small vial. He tapped the wand to Harry’s arm, then to the vial. The vial began to fill with a red liquid, after a moment Harry realised it must be blood.

Forthwith caught the look in Harry’s eye and winked. “I will check for poisons, venoms, that kind of thing. Is normal when bitten by venomous animal. Given time that has passed, probably safe. But, always good to be sure.” He waved his wand over the vial, and nothing seemed to happen. Then he pulled a second vial from his case, this one filled with a blue liquid. He poured the blood into the second vial, which turned a dark murky brown. After a moment, it cleared and shone a bright green for a second before fading.

Forthwith smiled broadly. “Yes, safe. Well, mostly. Safe for you.” He said patting Harry’s arm. “If ever used in ritual, would be bad for, umm what is word, recipient of ritual. Otherwise, completely safe.”

Tucking the vials away, he drew out a sheet of parchment and set a quill to writing on it. “This will be reminder.” He said turning back to Harry. “But quick explanation. You have slight malnutrition. Should take Blakewith’s Natural Supplement, or similar. Every day for rest of summer, until school. Should replace what is missing, and help you grow strong. Also, I recommend little more exercise, flying and likewise. Good for muscle growth. Otherwise, you are healthy enough.”

Harry smiled at the older man. “Thank you healer.” He said, not sure what else would be appropriate.

“You are welcome. Glad to help. Now, we switch. I go to dad. Spanks come to you.”

The curse breaker had an unfortunate resemblance to Lockhart, Harry thought as the man took the stool that Forthwith vacated. Fortunately, the resemblance ended at the blonde hair. The man was quick, efficient in his movement, and had a no nonsense attitude that probably served him well in his chosen profession. Though he did manage a small smile for Harry as he pulled out his wand.

“So, I expect you haven’t had one of these done before, am I right?” Spanks asked as he passed the wand over Harry’s prone form.

“No sir.” Harry answered, wondering what the man would find.

“Well, fortunately, it’s pretty simple, and entirely painless. I’m casting a series of diagnostic spells, which will tell me if there is any active magic on you, as well as identify a few forms of no longer active magics. That would be if something had been on you, but stopped working recently. He paused to check the results of his latest pass. “Like for example, this tracking charm that went dormant, looks like a couple weeks ago.”

Harry started. He’d had a tracking charm on him? How? When? Where was he when it stopped? It had to be before they got to Refuge, otherwise someone would have come looking for them there.

“Your godfather mentioned that he thinks there is an owl ward, lets..yes there it is. And it’s the complex version. That will be tricky to remove, but doable. We’ll leave that till later of course.”

Spanks fell silent as he continued working, noting down things, which made Harry wonder what the man was finding that he kept making notes about. Eventually the man looked up and sighed, lowering his wand.

He looked over to the healer and asked. “Have you finished?”

Healer Forthwith smiled back. “I have.” He looked down at Harry. “Just as healthy as you are, will also need nutrition. No further mind blocks that I could find.” Then he turned to Spanks. “You had question?”

Spanks grinned sourly. “No, I just needed to know if he was free to join a conversation.” He pointed to Sirius.

Forthwith spoke before Sirius could reply, but the dog man was sitting up. “Shall we return to table, or do we need to stay here?”

Spanks motioned to the table. “Might as well. It’ll be easier to discuss sitting down.”

Once they were all seated again, Spanks motioned to Harry. “So, I found a few things. Old tracking spells that have gone dormant. Looks like they were intended to remain active until he was within a certain ward scheme then shut down to recharge, and begin working again around mid August. I’ve removed them. An owl ward, just as you thought. That will take some work to remove, but can easily be done today. There is also a connection to a set of blood wards. I’d have to examine them to be sure, but based on what I can see in the connection, I think they were done wrong. They are certainly drawing more energy from Harry than they should. I can sever that connection easily enough, but I can almost guarantee that would bring down the wards. If you want them to stay, then I would recommend getting a specialist in blood wards to take a look at them, and fix whatever is causing them to drain Harry’s magic.”

Harry and Sirius both gawked at the man. Blood wards? When and where could Harry have been connected to blood wards? They both wondered. But Spanks kept talking so they had to shelve those questions for later.

“Finally, there’s the real problem, which no matter what you do with anything else, I strongly recommend you deal with today.” He pointed to Harry’s scar. “That scar contains something that should have been cleansed years ago. I can’t tell for sure how long it’s been there, just that it’s been longer than a couple of years. It’s a soul fragment. Couldn’t say how it got there. But trust me, you want it gone. Over time, those things will fester, and in the worst case, the fragment can overwhelm the host, take possession of the body. It’s difficult for it to do that, but it is possible.”

Now Harry was freaking out. There was a piece of someone else’s soul, in his scar. And that just confirmed for him whose soul it had to be. There was only one other person connected to that scar in any meaningful way, and the scar had hurt several times during his first year, whenever Quirrell was around. It had to be a piece of Voldemort. And suddenly he wanted it out.

“Get it out, get it out, get it out.” He began almost chanting, clutching at his head. There were voices all around him, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. It was all just noise as a voice in his head whispered, in a voice that sounded like a combination of uncle Vernon, and the face on the back of Quirrell's head. “Freak, nothing but a freak. No one will ever love you, no one can love you. Why would they, you are nothing, nothing but a replacement. A replacement for Lord Voldemort, I will take you Harry Potter, you will be mine.” And then everything went dark.

“Apologies.” Healer Forthwith said, lowering his wand. “Hysterics were hardly going to help.”

Sirius rounded on the man. “What did you do?” He asked heatedly.

“A simple sleeping charm. Used always at Hospital. Keep patient relaxed.”

Spanks laid a hand on Sirius arm to get his attention. “It’s alright, the boy will be fine. The removal will take at least an hour, and is made much easier if the subject is asleep.” He nodded to the healer. “The service is of course, expensive. But I cannot recommend it enough. If you love the boy, you’ll have it done. If not today, then as soon as you possibly can. Every minute that thing stays in him, it has a chance to take him over, to control him utterly.”

And Sirius broke, he sunk onto the chair, head falling into his hands. With a broken, muffled voice he said simply. “Do it.”

Three hours, for three hours, Sirius sat at the table, barely able to lift his head, as the curse breaker and the healer worked to remove the soul fragment, then undo the rest of the magic on Harry. After a bit of debate, Sirius approved having the connection to the blood wards severed. It was, he speculated, most likely, something Dumbledore had done. And given the old goats distaste for anything he considered dark, he had most likely done it himself, rather than have an expert involved, and gotten it wrong. Hence why it was draining Harry’s magic, instead of feeding it like it should.

Eventually the work was done, and Sirius signed over a hefty sum of galleons to pay for the service.

Healer Forthwith approached cautiously, but Sirius rose swiftly and offered his hand, and his thanks.

“You are most welcome. Boy should sleep for now. Is safe to wake him if needed, but best to let him sleep for as long as he needs. And rest for next couple days. Just to be safe. No problems are evident, but always best to be safe.”

Spanks approached next, hand outstretched. Which Sirius gripped tightly. Again thanking the man for helping Harry.

“My pleasure. We’ve been dealing with a fair number of soul fragments down in the jungle. Those old natives really loved their blood magics, and near immortality. Probably why they thought their rulers were actually gods. Like I said earlier, I can’t be sure how long that thing was in him. But it was definitely there long enough to have had some effect. If I were you, I would expect to see some changes in personality when he wakes up. Impossible to be sure what exactly those will be, though if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on him being more calm, more stable, and maybe even a bit more affectionate. But that’s just a guess. Good luck to you, and if you need any advice, feel free to write. May take me a while to respond, but if you send it through Gringotts I’ll get it.”

Nodding his thanks again, Sirius turned to Longhorn. “Is that everything for today?” He asked. “I’d like to get Harry back home, where he can rest.”

“That’s everything from us.” The goblin replied. “Do you still want to do the Hogwarts thing tomorrow, or should we push that back?”

Sirius turned to the healer. “You said he’ll be fine?” At Forthwith’s cautious nod he turned back to Longhorn. “Tomorrow will be fine, I want to get that done as soon as possible. Give Albus less chance to take advantage of the circumstances. Plus it’s already been down there for a while, don’t want any of it to go bad.”

“Very well, I will have my man meet you here tomorrow evening.”

With that, they all said a round of goodbyes, and not wanting to jostle Harry too much, Sirius called for Dobby to take the boy back to Refuge rather than carry him through town and onto the Shark’s Kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

Monday 22 July

Harry slept clear through breakfast. Though Dobby kept a plate warm for him. When he woke, it was to a surprise. Sirius was in a chair next to his bed, book in hand, waiting.

“Morning.” Harry croaked out, discovering that his throat was rather dry.

Sirius offered him a glass of water while laying his book on the bedside table. Which allowed Harry a view of the cover. It was the book on animagi they were using to train.

“Good morning.” Sirius smiled. “How are you feeling?”

Harry blinked and did a quick survey of himself. He lifted one hand in front of his face, opening and closing his fingers, then repeated the action with the other hand. He curled his toes a few times, and felt how the muscles in his legs moved as he shifted around. Then he looked over at Sirius. “I seem to be okay. I don’t feel any different. Nothing seems to be missing. How long was I asleep?”

Sirius glanced out the window. It had been mid afternoon when Harry was sent to sleep, it was now midmorning. “Not even a day. You went to sleep yesterday. So not very long, maybe half again as long as you would normally sleep.”

Harry nodded, then thought to check his palace to see if anything was missing or had changed. This was beginning to become routine, so it didn’t take him long to wander through the house and learn that everything was in place. He grinned at Sirius. “You were brilliant you know. I would never have thought to call in people like that. And now because you did, that thing is gone. Wait, it is gone right? I didn’t dream that part?”

“Well, I don’t know what you dreamed Harry. But yes, the thing is gone. I had it removed shortly after Healer Forthwith put you to sleep.”

“Oh good, that was scary.”

“I figured, the way you were panicking.”

Harry blushed deeply. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He mumbled.

“Don’t be.” Sirius chucked him under the chin. “I’d have panicked if it had been me.” He smiled warmly at his godson, letting him know that it was okay to have moments like that.

“What about the other stuff?” Harry asked, revealing that he was worried about more than just the soul fragment.

“I had it all removed. The tracking charms will not reactivate, and are now gone anyway. The owl ward is gone, you’ll probably get a lot more mail now. We might actually want to set up one of our own actually. Still don’t know what or where the blood wards were, but I had the connection severed. No matter what they were protecting, it wasn’t worth your well-being. And with those wards draining your magic, it was hurting you, even if you didn’t notice.”

Harry nodded. “I don’t know what they could have been for, but I’m with you Padfoot. If something is important enough to ward, then it is important enough to ward properly. There’s no good reason to leave incorrect wards in place.” Internally, Harry was wondering what it was that had been using his magic, but he didn’t let that show. No sense in worrying Padfoot.

“That just leaves the Hogwarts trip to worry about. Which is still tonight, I’ll take care of it. You will stay here. Healers orders, rest for today, and tomorrow.” Sirius said, a little smuggly, as though this were a great joke.

“Umm, Sirius?”

“Yes Harry?”

“How do you plan to get inside?”

“What do you mean Harry?”

“Only a parselmouth can open the Chamber.”

“Well I…” Sirius shut his mouth and stared at Harry, a glint of horror in his eye. “Crap!” He blurted out after a long second. Harry giggled, it wasn’t exactly often that Sirius broke into swearing. He preferred to be more sophisticated about voicing his emotions. “Well, now I feel dumb. I continued arrangements to go tonight. And there’s not really a way to change it. So unless you’re not feeling up to it, I guess you’ll have to go. But you stay close, and lean on me if you need to.” He tried to look stern, he really did, but the situation was just too funny.

So many times he had almost this exact conversation with Prongs. To be having it with Prongs’ son was just priceless. After a few moments of holding his straight face, he broke, and joined Harry in laughing somewhat hysterically.

They did decide to rest for the day, conserving energy for their adventure. Plus letting Harry build up his energy from the exertions of the previous day. Or at least that was what Sirius said. As Harry had not been the one doing the magic to remove the soul fragment, he actually was not at all tired, but he went along with the planned relaxation anyway, for Sirius’ peace of mind.

They spent the day watching movies, and meditating. Harry got his new memories sorted, worked on his occlumency, and then spent a couple of hours mentally changing himself into different animals, trying to get the forms as close to perfect as he could. He even started composing essays in his mind for each animal he had tried to change himself into. Mentally writing down everything he knew about them, which led him to look for books on different animals, in order to learn more. Which led to the realization that they hadn’t actually stocked their library yet. When he pointed that out to Sirius, the man slapped himself on the forehead.

“I knew there was something I was forgetting.” He said, and then sent Dobby to get copies of the books from the family libraries.

Which meant that after lunch, they settled in the library, now parly stocked, and began reading up on various animals. After Harry explained about what had made him look in the library, Sirius had slapped himself again.

“I actually did write an essay on my dog form.” He explained. “James did one on his stag form, and Peter on the rat. It helps, the more you know about your form, the easier it is to make the change. You were right about that, and the same would hold for multiple forms, it makes sense. Now I’m a little angry at myself for not thinking of it.” Then he smiled warmly at Harry. “My godson, the genius, thank you for catching my mistake Harry.”

Harry blushed, and hid his face in a book on cats.

Eventually it got close to time to meet their contact from Gringotts and they changed into travelling clothes. In a moment of inspiration, as he was changing, Harry pulled his dad’s old cloak from his trunk, thinking that if ever it was going to be truly useful, it would be for sneaking into Hogwarts.

They had to wait only a few minutes after arriving at the tea house for their contact to arrive, and soon were back on the Shark’s Kiss, headed up the coast towards Scotland.

The trip took several hours, and Harry eventually laid down to take a nap, waking just before they reached the northern coast where they would anchor and apparate to Hogsmeade, the village near Hogwarts.

When they appeared, Harry was expecting to be in an alley, looking out on a quiet village. Instead, they landed in front of a weather beaten old shack, that appeared to be boarded up. He looked around confusedly and turned to Sirius. “Where are we?”

Sirius pointed to the house. “This is the shrieking shack. Remind me later, after we get back home, I’ll tell you all about it. For now though, we should keep focused on what we’re here for.”

Harry noted a twitch in the man’s cheek, like he was trying not to grimace, and decided that maybe he was right, and he should stick to the plan, for now. Later he would ask about the shack, and why it made his godfather nervous.

Sirius led them over to a basement window, and pulled the boards up, revealing that it was just wide enough to squeeze through. They got a little dirty crawling inside, but they made it.

“Over here.” Sirius whispered as he led them to the far wall of the cellar. There was a row of barrels which he tapped at until one sounded different. He pushed on one side revealing an opening to a tunnel. “This leads to Hogwarts.” He whispered proudly. “Comes out under the whomping willow, assuming it’s still there.”

Harry had to stifle a chuckle, it seemed silly to him to start whispering here. There was no one around, and no reason to think that there might be. Though he understood the idea. Better to get into the habit now, and be less likely to forget later. Sirius had ranted at the characters in a movie they had watched about that. In keeping with that thinking he whispered back to Padfoot. “It is.”

Sirius nodded. “Good, so when we come out, we’ll be on the grounds. So we’ll need to be quick and careful, I expect our friend here,” he motioned to the goblin, “is better at being stealthy than we are. So I’m going to shift to dog form, just follow along. I’ll try to stick to the heavily shadowed route as much as possible.”

Harry held up a hand, then reached into a pocket and withdrew the cloak. Pulling it around his shoulders he smiled at Sirius. “I’ll be fine, just have to make sure I stay quiet.”

Sirius jaw was hanging. “The cloak, you have, how did you get it?”

Harry shrugged. “Christmas my first year, it came with my other presents. The note wasn’t signed so I’m not sure.”

Sirisu grew red. “Dumbledore.” He glared at nothing for a moment. “He had it, borrowed from James. Said he wanted to study it. He must have sent it to you.” He shook his head, clearing it. “Later, we can worry about that later. For now, it’s good that you have it. Just be careful. He had it long enough, he may have found a way to see through it, so if we run into him, stay out of sight, just to be sure.”

Harry nodded. “Okay.”

Sirius looked to each of them for a breath, then shimmered into the big black dog, and turned to stroll cautiously down the tunnel.

It came out right where he had said it would. Underneath the whomping willow. A massive tree on the grounds of Hogwarts, famous for attacking anyone who got near it. The tree was usually given a wide berth, but Sirius showed them how to find a knot near the base that would send the tree into a sort of sleep, for a few minutes. Which gave them time to get clear of its branches.

The walk across the lawn was heart stopping, every step Harry wondered if they would be seen. Every shift in the clouds, he asked himself if someone were looking out of one of the windows. He checked them several times, but there was no sign of anyone even awake, let alone watching the grounds.

Instead of going to the doors, Sirius led them to a rose bush that had been tucked into a corner of the walls, where they folded back in on themselves, making a tiny nook. It looked as though it was full of thorny bushes, so the students, while admiring the plant, never tried to penetrate further in.

Padfoot nosed around the base of the bush for a moment, then pushed through on one side. Halfway in he stopped and looked back, seeming to beckon them on. Harry and the goblin looked at each other and shrugged, the goblin motioning for Harry to go first.

Expecting to be stopped by bushes, and thorns, Harry followed in Padfoots wake. To his surprise, nothing stopped him, and after a few steps he found himself in a tight corridor.

When their goblin friend joined them, Sirius resumed human form. “We think it used to be an old servants entrance that was just covered up.” He motioned down the hallway. “This leads to a tapestry, near the kitchens. We’ll have to move along in the open, so to speak, for a little way before we can get back into the secret passages.” Then he turned and led the way down the corridor.

It was a harrowing walk through the castle, made even worse for Harry, as he kept reliving the few times he had snuck out after curfew and been caught. Despite Harry’s nerves however, they reached the second floor girls toilet without running into even a portrait. Despite having not been in the school for over a decade, Sirius knew his way around as though he were following a map.

When they reached the toilet, he whispered to Harry. “Remind me later to tell you about the map, wish we could have it with us tonight, but we lost it. Later though, there used to be a ghost haunting this toilet, and you mentioned she’s still here, so you go first. If she’s in there we’ll need you to keep her quiet.”

Nodding, Harry pushed open the door and crept inside.

They were in luck, Myrtle was nowhere in sight. She must either be out wandering, or down in her u-bend. Harry stuck his head back out the door and whispered. “Clear, come on.”

He quickly went to the sink which hid the entrance and whispered to it, “open.” But nothing happened. He pondered for a moment and realised that he had spoken in english. He stared down at the little carving of a snake and tried to imagine it as a real snake, coiling and hissing, then he opened his mouth to speak, and could hear the sybbillant syllables as they left his lips, though his mind translated what he was saying. “Open.”

There was a grinding as the sink slid out of the way, revealing the entrance. Unfortunately, it also revealed a problem. The noise was loud enough to cause worry, and before they could react, Myrtle was shooting out of her toilet, screaming.

“Go, go.” The goblin yelled, shoving Harry towards the opening and motioning for Sirius, still in dog form, to join them. Harry was shoved hard enough that he fell into the opening before he was fully aware of what was happening. When he felt the floor disappear beneath him and began to fall, he tucked his arms into his sides and let gravity and the wet pipes take him down. Above him, he could hear another body sliding along, and beyond that a third, this one making the occasional bark. Above Sirius, he could hear the sink returning to its usual position, and hoped that whatever happened, they wouldn’t be able to get it open without his help.

When he slid to a stop at the bottom, coming to rest in a puddle of murky brown water, he rolled to the side so as to avoid being hit by their companion. He was just in time too, as the goblin came shooting out of the pipe a heartbeat later. He was just helping the small creature to his feet when Sirius shot out, coming to rest in almost the exact spot Harry had.

The dog stood, and shook himself, spraying Harry and the goblin with filthy water. Which they both protested. The dog looked sheepish, then changed back to the man. “Sorry, instinct.” He said softly. Then drew his wand and cast a cleaning charm, syphoning the water, and less pleasant gunk off them. This was followed by drying and warming charms. “So, this is it huh?” He said when he finished, looking around the small cave.

Harry shook his head. “No, this is only the entryway. The Chamber is back there.” He pointed down the tunnel.

“Let us proceed then.” Their goblin companion said icily and began striding down the cave.

Shrugging to each other, Harry and Sirius set off after him.

When they came across the shed skin, their companion called a halt to inspect it. Declaring it worth gathering, he rolled the skin carefully and tucked it into a pouch at his belt. If Harry hadn’t seen what expansion charms could do, while they were finishing the house, he would have been amazed to see the entire roll of skin fit neatly into the tiny pouch. As it was, he merely raised an eyebrow, at how efficient the goblin was.

When they reached the door of the Chamber, Harry had to pause and convince himself to speak in parseltongue again. And as the door opened they got their first sight of the basilisk. It still lay where it had fallen, a huge red stain underneath it. The snake was massive, even to Sirius, who was unable to reach the top of it, even stretching as far as he could.

The goblin pulled out a measuring tape and sent it flying off to get an accurate length of the thing. When it came back it read 63 feet 8 inches.

“Beats the last record by a good bit.” The goblin said to them. “The biggest before this, was only 46 feet.” Then he looked around. “Still, something seems to be missing.” He stroked his chin, and scrunched up his face in concentration. After a few moments he clicked his fingers, and reached into the pouch at his belt. Pulling out a bit of the skin he had previously tucked inside, he licked it. “Hmm, about twenty years old, I’d say.” Then he looked around the Chamber. “There should be more. But where?” He turned to face Harry. “Where did the snake enter from?”

With a gulp, Harry pointed to the statue. “When Riddle called for it, it came from the mouth of the statue.”

“Hmm, might take some work. May I have your permission to bring a team back here to search the place properly?”

“Umm, what does?” Harry stumbled over speaking for a moment then was answered by Sirius.

“Get an agreement that anything they find is yours pup.”

“Oh, umm, right. So,” he turned to the goblin. “Keeping with the agreement we made with Longhorn, anything found down here belongs to me. Aside from that, yes you may bring a team here and search. Please take anything you find to the vault where the basilisk is going, and I alert me. I will inspect it when I can and decide what to do with anything there.”

The goblin grumbled, but agreed. Then he pulled a rope from his pouch and tied it around the basilisk. “This is my portkey. Are you two travelling with me, or are you finding your own way out?”

After a quick debate they decided to go with the goblin, rather than risk discovery by trying to back track. They could apparate back to the Shark’s Kiss after leaving Gringotts.

Leaving the bank was held up briefly by a quick visit with Longhorn to finalize the agreements on the sale of the basilisk, including what parts, and how much of them, Harry and Sirius would be keeping for themselves, and Harry’s insistence on awarding some of the money from the sales to the victims of the creature. But all together this only took a half hour. Then they were on their way. They left to Knockturn, but only just went down the stairs and off Gringotts property before apparating away.

The trip back to Refuge took several hours again, and the sun was just peeking over the horizon when they tied up the ship. They tried to stay up to keep their schedule normal, but it had been a very long day, and they soon fell asleep, cuddled together on the sofa, a movie playing on the screen in front of them.


	20. Chapter 20

Tuesday 23 July

Running, he had been running for so long. Was it days, or maybe weeks, since the last time he rested. He wasn’t sure. Nothing felt real, nothing felt normal anymore. The rat was ahead of him, scurrying through piles of trash that both hindered his chase, and prevented his spells from hitting the rodent. At least the little traitor hadn’t yet managed to flee down a hole where he couldn’t follow.

And now the piles of trash were images. Scattered scenes out of time. That time they turned their dorm room into a swimming pool. Sending Minnie a ball of yarn. Holding baby Harry and passing him around to meet all of his honorary uncles. Enchanting the motorbike, talking about plans for the future.

New images added themselves, multiplying the obstacles. Baby Harry fought a dark lord clad in purple robes, while he was forced to watch from behind bars. A giant snake coiled around his pup, while the rat chewed on his toes. A young faced Voldemort, laughing and gloating as Sirius screamed in impotent rage. And Harry, young, sweet, innocent Harry, his scar turning black, ichor dripping down his face, and when he wipes it clean. Red eyes stare out at him from the beloved face, no longer the green of Lilly’s, and a cold menacing laugh breaches the cracked lips of the boy he had loved from the moment Prongs had held him up and declared the first child of the Marauders to be born.

With a start, and a strangled cry, Sirius sat up from where he had fallen asleep on the sofa. Nearly a full minute passed as he looked around the sitting room, reminding himself of where he was, that Harry was safe. The soul fragment removed.

He glanced out the window, judging from the light it was somewhere around mid-afternoon, which was good. He hadn’t slept the whole day away. Harry wasn’t in the room, though he seemed to recall the both of them falling asleep here, so Harry must have woken up first and wandered off somewhere. Hopefully not to get into the wrong kind of trouble. First things first though.

“Dobby.”

The wonderfully odd little elf that Harry seemed to love almost like a sibling poked his head around the corner from the dining room. “Yes Master Puppy Sir?”

Sirius smiled. It always made him want to laugh when the elf called him that. It should probably annoy him, but really it was just funny. If he weren’t familiar with the way elves talked in general it may have annoyed him. But they really did all have their own little quirks of speech. And this one loved Harry, it was clear to anyone who looked. So Sirius would happily overlook some oddities with names. Speaking of, he should probably tell Dobby what he wanted before the little guy has an aneurism or something.

“Coffee please Dobby. No wait, that cafe and cocoa thing you brought us the other night. If you don’t mind.”

Dobby smiled broadly, and Sirius felt his cheeks stretch in response. “Oh, Dobby does not mind. Master Puppy is a good Lord Black, and kind to Dobby’s Master Harry Potter Sir. Master Puppy makes Harry Potter happy. Dobby will be very pleased to bring Master Puppy whatever drink he would like.”

Dobby vanished and a moment later returned with a small pop, right next to where Sirius sat. Almost startling the man. Dobby held out a saucer with a large, steaming mug.

Sirius took the mug and saucer with a nod. “Thank you Dobby.”

“Master Puppy is most welcome Sir. Is there anything else Dobby can be doing for you Sir?”

After a long sip, and a cheerful sigh, Sirius looked up at the elf. “Actually, there is. Do you know where Harry is?”

Dobby nodded. “Master Harry Potter Sir is down the beach in the workshop. Dobby thinks he is trying to brew potions.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. Perhaps this was one of the changes he should be watching for. A few days ago, Harry seemed to hate the idea of having a brewing lab at all. He’d have to ask, carefully. “Thank you Dobby, I’ll wake up a little, then I’ll go see if I can help.”

Nodding, Dobby popped away.

Taking another long drink of the glorious beverage Dobby had brought to them, Sirius leaned back, closed his eyes and went into his mental palace.

The place was vastly improved since the first time he had entered after leaving Azkaban. The cobwebs were gone, light flooded the halls, everything gleamed with fresh polish. He walked through the entry, stopping to brush the statue set between the loops of the grand staircase. A dog, a rat, a wolf, and a stag. The first memory he sorted. It came to him clearly now, the first night in the Gryffindor dorm. He had been a little scared, he was the first Black to be sorted into Gryffindor, maybe ever. His parents would be furious, but that wasn’t what had him worried. No, it was the three other boys in the room. He had met James on the train of course, and he seemed pretty great actually. But the other two, he hadn’t really met them yet. Would they look at him the way most people looked at the Blacks?

With a smile for the lost days, he moved on. These were happy memories he was passing. Pranks played, and shared moments. The good things that kept him grounded, reminded him that there was more to living than simple vengeance. There, that baby rattle, carefully placed on a shelf. That was the first time he held Hary. It was just after James had brought him out of the delivery room, when he asked Sirius to be godfather. Then he made Remus and Peter promise to always look after his little bambi. He smiled at the memory. They had loved that film, Lilly showed it to them after the first time she saw James transform. And James thought it the perfect nickname for his son. At least until he managed his own transformation.

But these were not what he was looking for. He headed for the hall of dreams. This was a long hallway he had set aside as a place to sort those dreams he could actually remember. In school he had kept a dream journal, but this was so much better. Along the walls of the hallway he had placed dozens of tiny viewers. Each one a dream he could recall vividly. Sometimes they held insight into something that was bugging him, sometimes they were just random images. He was never really sure which was which until he figured it out. And there were a few here, that he still wasn’t sure of. Pulling a new viewer from his pocket, he watched the dream that had woken him again. Considering what it might mean, he placed the viewer on a new plinth that appeared in the next place, and turned to head for another part of the house.

Chasing the rat made sense, he had basically been doing that since ‘81, until he ran into Harry. The first few images too, those were memories of time with his friends, distorted a little, but dreams will do that. The last ones though, those were from Harry’s stories about his time at Hogwarts. The first was clearly a distorted image of Harry fighting Quirrell, the purple turban becoming robes, and Quirrell himself becoming Voldemort because he was the real threat all along. And the snake, no need to dig into that.

Harry turning into Voldemort, that was clearly the fear brought on by the discovery of a soul fragment in Harry’s scar. But the almost perfect image of a young Tom Riddle, that didn’t seem to fit somehow. So he needed to look at the story once more. And he would find it in his library.

The room was huge, much like the Hogwarts library, which was what he had based it on. Each section held something different, but for this trip, he went directly to the fairytale section. His organization was odd, any time a friend told him a story, it got put away in the fairytale section of his library. He pulled a large tome from the shelf and sat down to peruse the contents. The tale of fighting the snake, meeting the teenage Voldemort, and saving Ginny Weasley.

Now what about that could have caught his attention enough to make teen Moldy appear in his dream? In the sitting room, Sirius sat, a look of concentration on his face, taking the random sip of his coffee. As Dobby puttered through, dusting surfaces. 

Dobby was a little worried about Master Puppy. He seemed worried, despite the calm he showed off. Something was bothering him, hopefully it was just a nightmare that had woken him, but Dobby couldn’t be sure. So he worried. And when Dobby worried, he cleaned, it was just one of those things. Cleaning helped calm his nerves. One could always tell how nervous Dobby had been recently by looking around the place he lived. The cleaner it was, the more jumpy one could expect to find the elf. 

“The Diary!” Sirius leapt from the sofa, crying out loudly. Dobby dropped the rag he was holding with a squeak and popped away. The rag floated toward the floor, but before it got even halfway it too vanished. Feeling a bit sheepish, Sirius called out. “Sorry Dobby, didn’t mean to scare you. Please carry on with what you were doing.” Then he turned and ran for the door. He had to find Harry.

He found Harry a few moments later, right where Dobby had said he would be. Apparently attempting to brew.

“Harry, I think I’ve just realised something, but I need some more information to be sure. Or maybe just to go back over something, make sure I have the details right.” This was said both very quickly, and interspersed with heavy breathing. While he hadn’t run far, he had run fast.

Harry turned and slowly blinked at his godfather, who was now bent over, gasping for breath. “Slow down Padfoot.” He said holding up his hands in an I surrender gesture. “It’s okay, I’ll help you figure it out, whatever it is. But you have to speak slow enough that I can understand.”

Sirius finally caught his breath and glared at his godson. “The diary, the one in the Chamber. I need you to tell me everything you can about it.”

Harry blinked, several times. “The diary?” He asked, wondering what could be so important about it. “Well, um I guess it starts with Lucious Malfoy. He gave it to Ginny Weasley before the start of term. I guess she wrote in it all year, except when she threw it away over christmas. I found it, and took forever trying to figure it out, until Valentine’s. There was an accident, and all my books got covered with ink. But the diary was still clean when I picked it up. So I wrote in it and it wrote back. Then it showed me a memory of Tom Riddle accusing Hagrid of opening the Chamber. The next day it was stolen, I found out later it was Ginny. She was afraid I’d figure it out and it would tell me about her crush. Then when I found her in the Chamber, Tom was there, coming out of the diary. He explained that because she had been writing in the diary he was able to steal her life or something like that, to make himself a new body. Then when I stabbed the diary with the basilisk fang, it seemed to die, and Tom went with it.” He hmmed for a moment then added. “That’s everything I can think of.”

Sirius sat down on the sand. “That’s two. And you said it was Malfoy who gave it to Ginny?” He searched Harry’s face until the boy nodded. “But that doesn't make sense, if he did that, it wouldn’t be safe. Especially giving it to Malfoy. There had to be more, that’s the only way.” He fell silent, pondering the possibilities.

Harry chewed his lip for a second, waiting to see if more would be coming. When nothing else spilled from Sirius’ lips he asked the question burning in his mind. “More what? What are you talking about Sirius?”

Sirius looked up at him, looking confused for a moment. Then he blinked and light seemed to return to his eyes. “We can’t take this one to the goblins. They’d do it, but they’d charge enough to empty even the Black vaults. No, we’ll have to do this one on our own.”

“Do what?” Harry almost screamed at the man.

“Sorry Harry, I’m thinking too fast. Give me a second. Actually, even better, get us some tea and meet me at the table.” Before Harry could respond he was up and running again, this time back toward the house.

Shaking his head in confusion, Harry turned and cleaned up the brewing area. Then headed toward the house, hopefully with a spot of tea, Sirius would calm down enough to answer a question, or two.

Seated at the table, tea close at hand, and some soft music playing behind him, Harry was hoping that would help Sirius to slow down enough to make sense, he waited for Sirius to emerge from the library. Where he was busy rifling through the stacks of, as yet, unsorted books. Looking for Harry knew not what.

Eventually, the man came back out, holding two books and looking back and forth between them, muttering to himself.

“Sirius!” Harry yelled to get his attention. When Sirius looked up he gestured to the tea and chair next to him. “You ready to tell me what’s going on?”

With a shake of his head, Sirius dropped the books on the table and sank into the chair, reaching for the tea. “Sorry pup. I guess I got a little carried away. Too bad your family doesn’t have the same library mine did. Though I guess that makes sense. If they did, they wouldn’t likely be the people they are.” He fell silent again, sipping the tea.

After a few breaths, Harry became impatient. “Well?” At Sirius’ confused look he nearly exploded. “What was all this about?”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Sirius said, shaking his head. “I realised something, which I should have realised sooner. I blame my worry over your well-being.” When Harry started to glare he decided that he should hurry up before the boy really did explode. “You had a soul fragment in your scar.” That made Harry go pale, and quiet. “The problem is, that shouldn’t happen. Harry, souls don’t just break. It’s one of the hardest things in the world to do, separating a piece of soul. It has to be done intentionally, and it takes a lot of effort. And there’s only one reason I know of to do it.”

Harry finally got over the slight shock of hearing Sirius mention the fragment. Now he was curious though. What was Sirius getting at? What could be the reason? He gave the man what he hoped was an encouraging sort of look, hoping he would continue with the explanation.

“I don’t actually know how long ago. There was this wizard, Herpo the Foul, he was called. He invented a process by which he claimed, immortality could be achieved. It worked, sort of. Anyone who went through the rituals would still age, but they wouldn’t die, unless something destroyed their body. And even then, their spirit remained close, and with the right rituals, could be returned to a body. The only way to kill them permanently, and it really was permanent. Was to destroy their horcrux.”

“What’s a horcrux?” Harry asked, unable to hold it in.

“It’s what the vessel is called.” Sirius shot him a wry look. “I don't know how the ritual actually works, wasn’t something I was ever interested in. But the Black family has kept records of every kind of magic they could find for as far back as the family goes. The process involves cutting out a bit of the soul and sealing it, inside an object. That object is called a horcrux. And so long as the horcrux exists, it’s maker can’t be truly killed.”

Harry had to take a long drink to calm his rapidly beating heart. It didn’t work. “And that’s what I was. I was one of these, horcruxes?”

Sirius smiled sadly. “Sort of, yes. Though I doubt it was intentional. More likely he intended to make one that night, but when his body was destroyed the already severed piece flew off and attached itself to you. But again, that doesn’t make any sense. Unless he already had one, his spirit, no matter how frayed, or cut to ribbons, should all have gone on. The only way that could have happened is if he already had a horcrux, and was planning to make another.”

“The diary. You think the diary was one?” Harry blurted out.

“Exactly. But again, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. For what it did. It makes perfect sense. It would be very difficult for a regular enchanted object to do everything that diary claimed. But if it was being directly controlled by a piece of soul, that would change everything about it. Make anything it did, more powerful. The problem is, the point of making a horcrux is to keep yourself alive. Which means hiding the thing, protecting it so it can’t be destroyed. But this diary was clearly designed to be given away, right into the hands of someone who may figure out its purpose and get rid of it. Or possibly even damage it accidentally.”

“You think he has more.” Harry said, a whisper of dread in his voice.

A wry smile was Sirius’ first response. “You guessed it. It’s the only way his treatment of the diary makes sense. And he entrusted it to Malfoy. Which brings up the possibility that he may have entrusted the other, or maybe others, to another of his followers. Then again, he might not have. It’s hard to say. Though that does come back to, you learned enough of who he is, or rather was. That we can begin looking into his history, his background. It’s possible we might find clues as to where he hid the others.”

“Is there a way to find out how many he made?” Harry asked in a small voice.

“Probably, but it would most likely come down to talking to the right person. I doubt he’d tell just anyone. Even his closest supporters. That’s the kind of thing you keep real close to the vest. Of course, there could be a limit to how many can be made. It’s not something I ever bothered to study, so I don’t know. And apparently none of your family did, or at least they didn’t keep books on it in the main libraries.” He motioned to the two books lying innocently on the table.

“So what are these then?” Harry asked, reaching for them.

They were bound in red leather, the first titled The Foul Artes (and what to do when you encounter them), was thin, and appeared to have been paged through many times. “I think Dobby actually brought the original copy from your family vault.” Sirius commented as he hefted the book, it was heavier than it looked. The second, titled The Road to Madness was thick, and had a lock on the cover. Sirius shook his head when Harry reached for it. “Don’t pup, that one is dangerous to read. Your dad and I did, just before our seventh year. It’s enchanted, once you start reading, you can’t stop, until you finish. No matter how long it takes. And around half the people who read it, go insane. We were very foolish to attempt it. I won’t stop you, if you decide to read the thing in a few years. But right now, I will. It’s not something for anyone underage to read.”

Slowly drawing his hand back, Harry nodded. “Okay, no reading the very bad book. Got it.” He said slowly. “So, I’m guessing neither of these has what we need to know?”

Sirius pointed to the one in Harry’s hand. “That one doesn’t, but I figured it would be good for you to read it. It has a lot of information on counter curses and how to defend yourself, along with how to identify dark spells. This one,” he tapped the madness book, “I was considering rereading. I don’t have a perfect recall for books. And while I remember horcruxes being mentioned in here, I don’t recall exactly what was said. It may not be anything helpful, then again, it might be.”

“Okay, I’ll give this a look through.” Harry held up the first book. “But what about finding the other horcruxes? Can we do anything about that?”

“Only if we can make good guesses at where they are. We don’t really have enough to go on, yet.”

“Well, we know he was in a muggle orphanage, in the forties. We know he was a Slytherin prefect.” Harry trailed off, trying to think of other things they knew about Tom Riddle that might aid in determining where he might have hidden something precious to him.

“All of which may be important, or it may not. For example, he may have hidden something at the orphanage where he grew up. If he liked the place. If he hated it, probably not.”

“Unless he thought that no one would look there if he hated the place.”

Sirius pointed a finger at Harry and made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Bingo, you’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s going to be mostly guess work. And with only two of us, it will take a while.”

“We can ask Hermione to help when she comes to visit.” Harry offered.

“That depends a little on whether she’s willing, and if she decides to bring along a squad of Aurors.” Sirius pointed out.

“She won’t.” Harry said, completely confident in his friend.

“Good. Now, I believe we have some reading to do. Although,” he stared at the book of Madness for a second, “this will take several hours. Probably best to leave it till morning.” He looked up at Harry, a question in his eyes. Before Harry could figure out what the question was though, he spoke again. “What say we do something fun. Take the edge off, relax a bit.”

Harry thought about it for a moment and decided that he quite agreed with the idea. “Yeah, let’s do that. How about a movie? I'd say Star Wars again, but we just watched that the other day. So how about something else?”

Sirius chuckled. “Want to use the force don’t you?”

Harry pinked. “Actually, I was thinking of a lightsaber.”

Sirius barked out a laugh. “Would it surprise you to know that your dad and I did too?” Harry smiled broadly. “We actually made one. Not sure what happened to it. We did it more to prove that we could than anything else. Thing proved to be a little too dangerous, even for us though. Accidentally cut my first bike in half the first time we turned it on. Only did it a couple more times after that, just to show off. Then we put it away somewhere, so no one could get hurt with it. Might have been the vault, now I’m thinking about it. But, you’re right, something else. And I have just the thing. Your mom showed us a very special movie, just before you were born. Your dad used to watch it with you, so you might remember it.”

Sirius stood and moved to the sitting room, trailed by a curious Harry. He went over to the entertainment center and pulled out a vhs, which he turned and displayed proudly. “Bambi.” He said, a hint of wistful nostalgia in his voice. “It’s what your dad used to call you too.” He said with a smile.

Harry returned the smile, and motioned to the tele. “Okay, let's watch.”


	21. Chapter 21

Wednesday 24 July

After breakfast, Sirius retreated to his bedroom to read the crazy book, and Harry was left to his own devices. He settled in the library to read the Foul Artes book. But quickly became bored. Not that the book was bad, in fact it was a very good read. There was a lot of information on various spells and creatures, including amusing little anecdotes for each, and a long description on how to counter them. It was just that Harry had a fair amount of restless energy and wanted to be outside. So after barely an hour of reading he set the book down and went out to see what kind of fun he could find.

And so it was that he found himself, a few hours later, just above the trees practicing some quidditch maneuvers, when a loud crack sounded across Refuge.

Curious as to what had made the sound, which was suspiciously like the sound of apparition, Harry lowered himself down so he was just barely above the treetops, and would thus be hidden by the branches, and flew toward the source.

On the northern side of the island, tucked up against a stand of rocks, there was a clearing. Perhaps ten paces across, which Sirius had mentioned as the usual starting point for the Marauders when they had come here every month. It was, he explained, the perfect spot. Surrounded by trees, but with an open sort of feel to it. Yet still wrapped on two sides by stone, and with a natural dip perfect for a fire pit. They would generally apparate in around lunch, and spend the afternoon exploring, then they would be a little tired come nightfall and time to change. That way, Mooney would by worn out quicker, and the four of them would play for a while as animals, then hunker down around the coals of their fire and get some sleep, before returning to the rest of the world in the morning.

And it was there that the sound had come from. As Harry flew carefully over to peer down into the clearing, he saw a man kneeling by the old fire pit. He couldn’t make out much about the man from his position. His clothes were shabby and oft repaired. His hair was a sandy brown, going slightly grey around the edges. And that was it, until he stood and looked around the clearing, a sad expression on his face. There were scars, both old and new on the man’s face, but it was unmistakably Remus Lupin.

For a heartbeat, then two, Harry hung in the air, uncertain of what to do. Should he fly down and greet his long lost honorary uncle, should he return to the house and warn Sirius. Maybe he should just wait and see what Mooney did. He might just stay put, in which case there was nothing to worry about.

He stayed there, unmoving for long moments, thoughts swirling through his mind. Possibilities stacking up and falling over as he considered his options. And then, Remus began walking out of the clearing, and he kept going. In the direction he was heading, he would come out on the beach just shy of the house, in about ten minutes. He’d be able to see the house in about five. And Sirius had no idea.

That decided him, turning back toward the house he shot off like a bullet, and was landing on the deck in just a couple of seconds. Rushing inside he dropped his broom on the sofa and rushed upstairs.

Pounding on the door of Sirius’ room, he called as quietly as he could. “Sirius, Sirius, we have a problem.”

After a second, he heard a voice answering. “It’s open, come in.”

Slipping inside he saw Sirius, lying on his bed, book held over his face, eyes going back and forth rapidly across the page. When the door shut, Sirius began speaking, not looking away from the book. “I hope it isn't something that needs my immediate attention. I told you, once you start reading this, you can’t stop. Not for anything, if the house catches fire, you’ll have to carry me out. So I hope whatever it is, it isn’t something really bad.”

Harry took him in a deep breath to calm the half panicked rate of his heart and tried to speak in the calmest voice he could manage. “Mooney is here.” He thought he might have succeeded in sounding calm, as Sirius didn’t seem to react at all.

Then he realised the lack of reaction was due to Sirius processing what he said, rather than how he said it. As he watched, Sirius eyes began moving faster, seeming to try to take in the book as fast as possible. “Try to keep him away from the house. He’ll figure it out, he was always the smartest of us. But I can’t really do anything until I finish this. If he decides to hex me and ask questions later we’re screwed. So try to lead him away. I should be finished around dinner time, maybe a little later. If you can keep him busy until then, I’ll come find you and we can try to explain together.”

Harry nodded, not sure how he was going to keep a grown man busy for several more hours. But he steeled himself for the job and turned to make his way back out of the house, determined to find a way, somehow.

Then he paused as Sirius said one last thing. “Oh, and lock the door on your way out. It’ll slow him down a bit, and give me some warning if he ignores you.”

Trying to chuckle at Sirius in spite of the fear welling up inside him, Harry marched out of the house, locking every door along the way.

“Okay, how do I go about distracting a fully grown man?” Harry asked himself, debating ideas. There were many options, but none of them seemed like they would be very successful. Then he recalled one of the stories read to his primary school class. Dudley of course hated it, but Harry had found it amusing. Not that he was allowed to express that to anyone. He couldn’t recall the name of the tale, but the details of how little wisps of smoke and light, called will o’ the wisps, led travellers away. That could work, he knew how to make light with his wand, and had begun practising making a ball of light that would hover overhead. And thanks to Sirius, colored smoke was now a breeze. Yes, it just might work, he just had to find Remus before Remus found him.

Now, if the werewolf kept a steady course, he should be coming out of the woods, about there. Around twenty feet to the left of the house, almost midway between the house and the workshop. So Harry took off in that direction, into the woods, trying to remain as quiet as he could, while running.

Either he was a little off in his estimation, or Remus had changed directions. He found the man easily enough, but now pointed almost directly at the house. Cursing under his breath, Harry raised his wand and made a cloud of smoke appear a bit to the side of where Mooney was facing, then he added a flash of light for good measure.

The man stopped and looked in the direction of the smoke, and Harry cheered internally. It was working. A moment later he was cursing again. Remus had shifted direction, and was now walking towards the smoke, but Harry had failed to plan further. That wouldn’t keep the man busy for long, and he needed to keep him distracted for several hours.

But, if one cloud worked, maybe a second would as well. With that thought in mind, he quickly vanished the first, and produced a second, this one a little further away, and beginning a curve that would lead back to the far side of the island. With a little luck, he could keep Remus busy following clouds, at least that far.

It did not go as Harry planned. Remus continued to follow the first three clouds, then stopped as the fourth appeared. Then, to Harry’s dismay, the werewolf shook his head as though disgusted with himself, and turned back towards the house. Made he’d read that story too.

With that plan foiled, Harry needed a new one, and fast. Remus wouldn’t take long to reach the house, and he doubted the man would be foiled by locks for any real length of time. He had to do something.

Almost in a panic, as Remus was nearly beyond his line of sight, Harry called out to the man. “Mooney.” He tried to make it sound, wispy, ethereal, the way he had heard ghosts talking in some of the movies he’d seen.

It worked! Remus stopped and cocked his head, then looked around confused. But he didn’t move away from the house again, so Harry called a second time. “Mooney.”

Then he glanced down, and deliberately stepped on a twig so that it cracked loudly.

That did the trick. Remus’ head whipped around fast enough that his hair lifted, and slapped him in the face. Moving a little away, Harry tried again. “Mooney.”

And now Remus was striding confidently toward him. Yes, he succeeded, but now he needed to move. The man would reach him, pretty soon if he just stood there. So he took off at a jog, stopping every few yards to call and check if he was still being followed.

After about a minute of this though, he found a flaw in the plan. Remus started answering. “I can hear you, come out where I can see you.”

At first, Harry didn’t let this bother him too much. He simply continued the pattern of running a little way ahead, stop, call, check on Mooney’s position, repeat.

It didn’t take long though, for Remus to add to his return call. “Sirius, I know it’s you. No one else would use that name anymore. Just come out and we can talk.”

Harry was almost tempted to do just that. It was tiring leading the man through the woods, and he still had hours of this left to go. He needed a better plan, or at least one that didn’t end with him panting on the ground, barely able to move, with a transforming werewolf a few feet away.

He would have done it too, just step out from behind a tree and talk to him. If he hadn’t seen the look on Remus’ face, and the wand in his hand. The man looked ready to curse his own mother if she stepped out in front of him. No better to continue the chase, and see if he could come up with something else.

He managed to lead Mooney around the island in this manner, for nearly half an hour before things changed. Remus, got tired of simply chasing, and started throwing hexes. Spell after spell hurtled through the trees in the general direction of where Harry was. Little jets of red and blue, thick enough that he had to hide behind the trunk of a thick tree to avoid them.

The spells flew for several seconds, then stopped. After a few deep breaths to calm himself, Harry glanced out to see what was happening. Remus, was striding away in the direction of the house, shoulders set in an angry posture.

Damn, he thought, I have to do something. Stepping out from behind the tree, Harry shouted. “Uncle Mooney! Coloraphobus!” And shot a color change hex at him, turning his clothes a bright fluorescent pink. Then he ducked back behind the tree.

When no spell followed him after a few seconds, he peeked out. Remus was standing where he had last seen the man, staring at his, now pink, clothes. As Harry watched, he slowly lifted his head, and Harry was amazed to see tears standing out on the man’s face.

“It won’t work Sirius.” The werewolf growled out, beginning to stalk towards Harry. “You can’t trick me.” As he walked, he raised his wand, and began firing more spells. These were a sort of off-white color, and Harry was horrified to see the first strike a tree a little distance off from him, and wrap it in ropes. Remus was trying to capture him, better than trying to kill him sure, but that wouldn’t help any in the long run.

And worse, with Mooney coming toward him, running wasn’t really an option. He needed to either distract him, or beat him in a duel. Which wasn’t very likely to happen. He’d beaten Sirius a few times, but he was convinced it was because the man let him, and they were only using color change and tickling charms anyway. In a real duel, he doubted he’d even be able to hit the man with a spell, let alone win. But if he had surprise on his side, he might at least be able to get one hit in.

It would have to be a good one though. Something that would buy him time. And he needed to change tactics, this cat and mouse thing wasn’t really working, and would ultimately just leave Harry tired. He blinked, would it work? It might, and there was only one way to find out.

Carefully he slowed his breathing, and ignored his hammering heart, listening for the best moment. Remus either didn’t spend a lot of time in nature, or just didn’t care at the moment, as he was making plenty of noise as he stalked toward the tree. He’d already hit it twice with the rope spell, but Harry was just far enough away from the trunk to avoid being caught. Thank goodness he’d seen the spell hit that other tree, he’d been leaning against the trunk until then.

When he estimated that Mooney was just a few feet away, he stepped out and took his chance. “Petrificus totalus.” For a blink, he thought he had missed. The two stood there staring at each other, the rage bleeding out of Remus’ face. Then the older man began to topple as though he were a tree that had just been felled.

Harry rushed to catch the man before he could hit the ground. He succeeded in getting in the way of his fall, but rather than catch him, he merely provided a cushion, as Remus was a bit heavier than he had anticipated.

He cautiously rolled the man off of himself, and knelt next to him. “Can you hear me Mooney? Blink if you can hear me.” The man blinked several times in rapid succession, but otherwise did not even twitch. “Yeah, the full body bind. Sorry, it was the best I could come up with on short notice. We kind of forgot that it was the full moon tonight. We weren’t sure if you would come here anyway though, so it might not have mattered. Though I doubt Padfoot would have chosen to read that book today if we had remembered. I think I’ll talk to him about charming a calendar to remind us in future.”

Harry slowly sat back, until he was leaning against a tree root. “Damn it. Now what do I do? I was only trying to keep you away from the house. I can’t just leave you like this. I don’t know of anything dangerous out here, but there could be. And that doesn’t look at all comfortable. And I’d imagine, going through the change later would be even worse than normal, like that. Damn it, why didn’t we discuss what to do if you showed up.”

Harry was now running a hand over his face, scrubbing at it in frustration. “I can’t just leave you like this, but I also can’t let you leave.” He glanced at the man, hoping for some idea to come to him, some way of keeping the man in place. He was watching Harry, confusion, and a question in his eyes. “I can’t Mooney. I can’t just let you go. You need to understand that Sirius is innocent. He was never given a trial. He wasn’t the secret keeper.” Harry was nearly in tears now, beginning to fumble over his words as he poured out the story of how Peter had betrayed his parents.

When he finished, he really was in tears, head resting on Remus’ chest as he cried out his frustration and loss. When at last he looked up, the sun was low. He realised he had been sitting there, telling Remus all about what he knew, what Sirius had told him, for at least a few hours. He looked down at the man and saw hope in his eyes.

“Is that,” he started then shook his head. “Mooney, do you believe me? Do you believe that Sirius is innocent?” He watched the man for any sign of agreement then swore. “You can’t answer like that, but I can’t,” an idea hit him like a bag of bricks and a slow smile spread across his face. Raising his wand he cast a sticking charm Sirius had taught him for pranks, causing Remus to be stuck to the ground, then released the body bind. “Now you can talk, but still can’t move. Why didn’t I think of that earlier? Okay, so, do you believe me?”

Harry stared at the man with such intensity that Remus wanted to look away. He was feeling quite ashamed. He had never looked into the events of that night. He’d been away for months, spying on the packs for Albus, and simply took the headmasters word on everything. But the story Harry had told was, while not exactly complete, at least succinct. And it filled in holes that Remus had asked himself for years. If Peter really was alive, and had been the secret keeper, it did actually explain everything. Especially with the added detail of Harry being taken from Sirius. Black had never been completely stable, and if he felt like he had lost everything, he would likely lash out. And he would have just enough control to lash out at the person he considered most to blame for his loss.

Slowly, carefully, so as not to spook the half hysterical boy, Remus nodded. “Yes Harry, yes, I believe you. Is, is Sirius here?”

Harry gulped, and sat back to lean against the tree root again. “He’s in his bedroom. He’s reading a sort of cursed book. The spells on it prevent him from stopping until he’s finished it.”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “That book. I thought he and James swore they’d never touch it again.”

Harry smiled. “We found something a few days ago. He said he needed to be sure he remembered something correctly and the only way to be sure was to read it again.”

Remus blinked, that was odd. Sirius had always had a good memory, and after Lilly taught them that trick with the mental house he’d gotten even better. If he was wanting to reread something to be sure of his recall, he must be very worried. “I don’t suppose he told you what he was looking for?” He asked, doubting he would get any real answer.

“Well,” Harry started, surprising the man, “we were talking about horcruxes. He didn’t say specifically, but we were discussing how many horcruxes a person might make, or be able to make. I think he was looking for a limit, but he wasn’t sure that anyone had ever tried to find out.”

Remus blinked, that was a lot of information, but there was one glaring problem with it. “What’s a horcrux?”

“Oh, sorry, I thought you might know. I didn’t, that doesn’t matter. A horcrux is a vessel for a piece of soul. A dark wizard can slice off a bit of their soul and store it inside a horcrux. Then they can’t die, or at least they can’t be killed. I’m not sure exactly how it works, just that it’s what Voldemort did to keep himself alive. And he intended to use me and my parents' deaths to make another one.”

Remus jaw was hanging open. He’d never heard of such things before. And if Sirius and James knew of them, why wouldn’t they tell him. But then, they had sworn never to read the book that probably told them about the things again. So maybe they hadn’t said anything because they hadn’t thought it important, and didn’t want to think about them. It certainly sounded like a particularly horrid bit of magic.

Thinking about it, he probably should say something to calm Harry down. Despite Remus’ assurance that he believed the story, Harry was still in a state of near panic. “Harry, if you have any proof of Sirius’ innocence, I’m sure we can get him a trial. You may not know, but a few things have changed since he was imprisoned.”

Harry smiled wanly. “I know that Sirius is Lord Black now, since he’s the only remaining male with the name. Is that what you were thinking of?”

“Well, that yes, and there have been some changes to the Wizengamot, that’s the group of witches and wizards who make our laws, and judge criminal cases. The current membership is a little more Light than when Sirius was arrested. I can’t be sure of their allegiance, and there are still some bad people, but it could make the difference we need.”

“Okay, but, wouldn’t it help if we had Pettigrew?”

“It would yes, but how do we get him?”

“I was thinking of getting the goblins to do it. They’ll do almost anything for a fee. I was thinking I’d have them meet the Weasleys in Diagon Alley and reveal the little traitor.”

Remus blinked, that actually wasn’t a bad plan, if a little on the expensive side. It was true that goblins would do nearly anything for a price, but their services weren’t cheap. “That might work, though if you’re willing to allow it, I’d do it for the chance to see the little bastard get what he deserves, rather than a boatload of galleons. Plus, I would be able to approach them more easily, and with less attention than a squad of goblins could.”

Harry warmed to that idea quickly. “Yes, that would be excellent. But can you do it without spooking the rat?”

“I believe I can, yes.”

Harry studied the man’s face for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go see Sirius, and see if he wants to help with the plan.” He quickly removed the sticking charm and stood up, offering Remus a hand.

Remus accepted his help up and stretched. “Oh, it’s good to be able to move again.”

Harry looked sheepish. “Sorry about that.”

“No, no, I completely understand. I would have done the same in your position. No need to apologize.” Remus smiled down at the boy he had held for the first time so many years ago. He looked a lot like James, but he had Lilly’s bright curious eyes, and a hint of something in his manner. A sense of assurance that could only have come from Sirius. “How long have you been with Sirius? I only heard that you were missing a couple of days ago.”

Harry smiled broadly as he turned to walk backwards, leading the way to the house. “Almost a month now. We met at the beginning of summer. After we had a couple of close calls with the Aurors, Sirius thought of Refuge and we came out here. It’s been great, he’s taught me so much about dueling, and magic, and my parents, and you, and everything.”

Remus had to chuckle at the boys enthusiasm. It had been a long time since he had last been around anyone so energetic. In fact it had been the last time he had been with his pack. The thought of his pack, broken, scattered, or lost, sent his emotions spiralling. It was always hard to keep them under control this close to the moon, but it was proving to be especially hard today. Thanks to the story Harry had shared, he had new things to add to his own knowledge, which stirred up new feelings, which were harder to control.

Fortunately, with Harry right there in front of him, chattering away about swimming, and flying, and skiing, whatever that was, it was easy to shake off the negative thoughts. At least for now. And focus on the fact that he had a chance to rebuild, to get back some of what he had lost at least.

And soon, they were stepping out on the beach, and there, just a short way off, was a small house. Admittedly it had been a long time since he had set foot on this island, but he was sure there had never been a house here before. “Harry?” He called to the boy who was now turning toward the building. “When did that get there?” He asked, pointing to the house.

Harry looked where he was pointing and grinned. “We just finished the house a week ago.” He explained then pointed to another building opposite them from the house. “The workshop and garage we finished just a few days ago.” Then he turned and pointed to a long dock stretching out into the water, with a boat tied to it, opposite a large boat house. “The boat house was last, we got it up a couple of days back.” He turned back to smile at his honorary uncle.

Remus had to stop and process that for a moment. In less than a month, two people, on the run from the law, had built a home. On an, essentially, abandoned island. “How?” He started but couldn’t think of how to finish the question.

But Harry had no such trouble. “We had Dobby get supplies for us. Other than that, magic, lots of magic. It’s one of the things that made Sirius think of coming out here. We figured out that the Aurors kept finding us because of the trace going off. Out here, the trace can’t find us, so we were able to use all the magic we needed to get the house built.”

Remus shook his head. The explanation made sense, he could recall James saying something about the trace not going anywhere off the mainland. But that Sirius had thought of it, and then used that fact to hide himself and Harry away so perfectly. More confirmation that while he never seemed to take anything seriously, despite his name, Sirius Black was still one of the smartest people he had ever known. Which was really surprising, as most people don’t come out of Azkaban with their minds that intact. Maybe he’d just gotten lucky.

“Come on, I’ll give you the tour. You’re our first visitor.” Harry said, pulling gently at the man’s arm. Remus followed along, a bit stunned.

As they climbed the stairs to the deck, Harry explained how they had built it. And plans they had for a built in grilling area to be added later. As well as a jacuzzi, though they hadn’t decided yet if that would be attached to the deck, or seperate.

Inside, Harry pointed out the large television, and surround sound system Sirius had installed so they could watch muggle films. Which led to a brief discussion of some of the films they had watched so far.

Remus pulled himself together enough to ask about the blank walls, and if they had plans to add anything to them. Which Harry smiled at and said they hadn’t discussed it, but probably would eventually.

In the kitchen they met Dobby who worried about Remus turning them in. Remus had to assure the elf that he would not. Then marvelled over how well put together the kitchen was, which made Dobby beam with pride.

As they headed for the library, Harry commented that they had been discussing adding family portraits to the hallways, but had not yet agreed on which portraits. Remus agreed that it was important to be selective about such things. As you don’t want disagreeable portraits yelling at you in the morning.

In the library Remus stopped and gaped. Then he turned toward Harry and asked why the books were piled on the table instead of being properly shelved. It took a minute to explain that the books had only arrived a day or two ago, and they hadn’t taken the time to sort them yet. At which Remus simply glared at him, and proclaimed that the books would be properly shelved before he left.

When Harry mentioned that the upstairs was only bedrooms at the moment, Remus insisted that they tell Sirius to come find them when he finished reading. Which would give them time to begin shelving books. Harry pointed out that they could just leave the library door open. Sirius would pass by it on his way to anywhere and would likely notice the noise.

Remus nodded agreeably and the two settled in to begin sorting. While they worked, Harry wheedled more stories of the Marauders days at Hogwarts out of his honorary uncle.

“Well, this is not what I meant when I told you to distract him. But it looks like it worked.” As they sorted and shelved, Harry and Remus lost track of the time. Now Sirius was standing in the doorway, smiling wryly at the two of them.

“Sirius!” Harry cried happily, leaping to his feet to rush over and crush the man in an embrace. “Remus and I have been sorting. And he’s telling me stories about your time at Hogwarts. You hadn’t mentioned the time he caught you and dad trying to sneak into the girls dorms.”

Sirius blinked stupidly at the boy in his arms. “Girls dorms.” He said slowly, as though tasting the words. “I don’t recall ever trying to get into the girls dorms, I think he was confusing the time I caught him and James. They were trying to fly in on their brooms.”

Harry chuckled as Remus stood and approached. “Sirius.” The werewolf said cautiously.

“Remus.” Came the equally careful reply.

“Harry.” Said the preteen with a cheeky grin, sticking out his hand to the air. “Splendid to meet you.” He added, pumping his hand as though shaking with an invisible someone.

The adults watched him curiously, then caught each other's eye, and slowly, they grinned.

“Padfoot.”

“Mooney.”

And, forgetting the time that had passed since they had last met, they embraced. As Harry watched, he heard them begin to weep softly, and recognising the importance of the moment, he slipped out quietly and went in search of Dobby.

He and the elf returned to the library a few minutes later, hoping the men had enough time to say hello, and gather themselves, before they arrived to interrupt the reunion.

Peeking inside, Harry saw the two men, drying their eyes and beginning to look around in confusion. “Over here.” He called softly, catching their attention. “Dobby and I laid out tea, we’re in the dining room, when you’re ready.”

It took a few minutes for the men to join them at the table.

“So, Harry, do you want to tell me how you came to be sorting the library instead of leading Remus away from the house?” Sirius asked as he accepted a cup of strong tea. “I distinctly recall telling you to lead him away from the house.”

Harry glanced up to catch the grin on Remus’ face, just before he hid it behind his own teacup, and smiled. After a long sip just to draw out the moment, he launched into the epic tale of how he evaded and confused a dangerous predator, for hours on end. But then, he realised that the best way to scare the foul beast away, would be to threaten it with books. He widened his eyes there, conveying the dread of being faced with the written word. Unfortunately, it turned out that the creature wanted knowledge as much as it wanted manflesh, so he was forced to serve as a lackey to the beast’s appetite for organisation.

When he finished, the two men were howling with glee, and proclaiming Harry to be as cheeky as his dad, and as creative as his mum. Which they said, was a great combination.

As they settled themselves, Remus glanced out the window and swore.

“What is it Mooney?” Sirius asked, reaching out to lay a hand on his friend's shoulder.

“Just that,” the man replied, pointing outside, “moon.”

Sirius scrunched his brow, and followed Remus pointing finger to the darkening sky. “Moon?” He said slowly, rolling the word a bit, as though uncertain of it’s meaning. “Moon,’ then he paused, eyes widening, “moon. Remus, it’s the full moon tonight.”

“I know Padfoot, that’s why I’m here. And while I know you can handle it just fine.” He motioned to Harry rather than speak further.

Sirius blinked at Harry for a moment, as though surprised to see him. “Harry.” He said slowly, almost as though he thought it should be someone else sitting across from him. “Harry.” He added, more forcefully this time. “Harry you need to be somewhere else. Somewhere not on this island.”

Harry pouted. “But I want to stay with uncle Mooney.”

Remus smiled at the boy. “And I would very much like to stay with you as well Harry. But as you know, in an hour or so, I will change. And I won’t be so welcoming after that.” He reached over and patted his honorary nephews hand. “If you want, we’ll teach you to change like Padfoot, and then you can join us. But until then, I’m afraid it’s necessary for you to be as far away from me on the night of the full moon, as you can be.”

Harry got a bright look in his eye at those words and went suddenly very still. He appeared to be concentrating very hard, and a moment later there was an odd sensation in the air. A pressure on all three, and the hair on the head of the youngest, grew longer, shaggy and thick. The two men watched in amazement as he began to shift form, and then stopped, and slowly the change retreated, until he was simply Harry again, looking a little upset.

Remus was stunned into silence, if he hadn’t known better he would have sworn the boy was practicing the animagus transformation. Except the other Marauders hadn’t gotten that far until the summer before their fifth year, and Harry hadn’t been with Sirius long enough to have trained that much. But then, what was it?”

Sirius on the other hand, whooped. He leapt up and ran around the table, lifting Harry into a hug. “That was incredible pup. Amazing. You almost had it. And not even a month of practise yet. I told you, better than you’re dad and I.”

“It’s the method.” Harry offered self-deprecatingly.

“Nonsense.” Sirius declared. “Method is only half the equation. You still have to be awesome to do it so quickly.”

Harry shrugged a little, then smiled. “I have a good teacher.”

Choking, Sirius wrapped the boy in a tight hug.

Remus choked up seeing the two so close, then realisation of what they had said caught up to him. “Wait, you mean that actually was. Sirius you taught Harry to be an animagus, at twelve!” He nearly shouted at the end.

Together, Harry and Sirius nodded at the grey haired werewolf. 

Harry added a half smile, and said. “I’ve almost got it, but I can’t quite manage the last bit. I get about halfway through the change, at least I think it’s around halfway, and then suddenly, poof. No change.”

“That's amazing.” Remus looked from Harry to Sirius. “How did you teach him that fast? And what’s this about methods?”

Sirius tapped at his lips for a moment in thought, then held up a finger and rushed from the room. Harry and Remus exchanged a look, but before either could say anything, Sirius was back and handing Remus the book on Druidic animagi.

“Do you remember?” He asked, tapping the book. “James and I found them just before you left for France. Harry has been using this method, which is not only much easier on the body, but more importantly, faster to achieve, especially with Lilly’s mind palace, and even better, allows you to take any form, not just the one. I’m learning it too, though I’m not quite as far along as Harry. Every time I try to shift, I turn into Padfoot. I’d say I’m disappointed, except it’s exactly what I expected to happen. Retraining a skill is a lot more work than learning in the first place. There’s even a chance you could do it Mooney. It doesn’t rely on internal magic the way the roman method does.”

Remus nodded slowly at the long explanation and looked down at the book in his hands. Then out the window again. “That's really excellent Pads, and I thank you for answering my question. Unfortunately, it’s still the full moon tonight, and we still have a Harry here. Do I need to go somewhere else? Is this house warded against werewolves?”

“Of cour..” Sirius started, then paused and thought for a moment. “Damn, I didn’t think to ward the house against Mooney.”

“And Mooney, will smell humans and wreck the place. I definitely don’t want him coming in here and destroying your library. Which means I need to go somewhere else for the night.”

“Sirius scratched his head. “I’d point out the Shark’s Kiss, but Mooney might tear a hole in it and drown himself. Damn, why did I forget to ward the house.”

“Don’t blame yourself Sirius. You aren’t perfect and that’s okay.” Remus soothed his oldest friend.

“What about the moor?” Harry asked, surprising the two men.

“Moor? What moor?” Remus asked, looking between Harry and Sirius.

“Umm.” Sirius said smartly, peering at Harry.

“The one we landed at the first time you apparated us away from Privet Drive.”

“Oh, there.” Sirius turned to Remus. “Where we used to go for the moon. During the summers, before we bought the island.”

Remus blinked a few times before understanding filled his eyes. “Yes, that would work. I might need some help getting there though.”

“Not a problem Mooney old chum.” Sirius said in a pompous voice.

Remus shook his head and turned to Harry.

Harry raised a hand to forestall whatever the man was about to say. “You two have fun. I’ll probably go to bed soon anyway. It’s been a day. I wish I could go with you, but until I can change..” He trailed off, a look in his eye that said he would be working extra hard on that. “Anyway, catch up, you looked like you needed it in the library.”

Remus nodded slowly, then opened his arms in invitation. Smiling, Harry rushed into the embrace, and after a moment, Sirius joined them. For a minute the three stood there, wrapped in the joy of being together. Then Remus took command of the moment and reminded them of the time. After a quick reminder to stay on the island to Harry, the two men vanished with a small pop.


	22. Chapter 22

Thursday 25 July

Harry stayed up late, practising his transformation. Or at least he tried to. After the adults left, he had shared dinner with Dobby, then rushed up to his room to begin his meditation. He recalled beginning to practise the transformation, but then the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the sounds of people moving around downstairs.

Carefully, he made his way down, and upon seeing Sirius and Remus huddled over the dining table, nursing cups of steaming tea, he plopped himself into a seat across from them with a smile and asked how their evening was.

They gave a brief explanation, which sounded much the same as Sirius many stories of the full moon, and which Harry thought was probably leaving out the good parts. But then Dobby came in with a platter of bacon and eggs and conversation was abandoned in favor of food.

When the table was cleared they moved to the deck, as Remus thought the sun might do him so good as he recovered from last night’s transformation.

As they sat and sipped tea, they discussed what they could do about Peter, and getting Sirius a trial.

“As much as I want the little shit to suffer.” Sirius said angrily. “He will need to be revealed in public. They sent me away, without trial, once. They’d do it again to save their reputations. The only way they’ll give me a trial now, is if they’re forced to. And that will only happen if the public demands it. That’s the one thing they can’t cover up.”

“I agree, Padfoot.” Remus lifted his cup in a salute. “The problem is arranging to catch him in public. We don’t know when or where he’ll be. And we can’t plan on luck.”

Harry snapped his head up at that. “But we do.” He said, catching the other men’s attention. “Just a second.” He held up a finger and closed his eyes. Rushing through his mind palace he found the last letter from Ron and read over it looking for the information he needed. He had to go back to an earlier letter to find it though. Opening his eyes he smiled at the two men who were watching him. “First Saturday of August. They’ll be in Diagon Alley.”

Sirius and Remus shared a look, then returned their gaze to Harry, as Remus asked. “You’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be. That’s what Ron wrote anyway. They are in Egypt now, supposed to be returning around the thirtieth. Just in time for Hogwarts letters to arrive. Speaking of, we haven’t decided on what to do about mine. Are we just going to wait for it, or have it redirected to Gringotts?”

Sirius stared at him for a second then clicked his mouth shut and rubbing his chin, began to answer. “I forgot about that. After Dumbledore’s owl ward was lifted, I had them add a new one, which redirects all your mail, except for certain persons to Gringotts. I didn’t include Hogwarts on the accepted list, so it will go there. I’d recommend leaving it that way, until you decide if you’re going back. If you are, we can add the school to the list. If not..” He trailed off.

Harry nodded in agreement. “Speaking of letters, with everything that’s happened, I completely forgot to reply to the last ones from Ron and Hermione. Are they on the approved list?”

“Yeah, actually, they are the only ones on the approved list. Well, them and Longhorn.”

Remus had been watching this exchange quietly, sipping his tea, now he interjected a question. “Longhorn?”

“Our vault manager.” Harry replied. “He’s been really helpful.”

“He has at that.” Sirius said. Then he considered the point and scrubbed at his forehead as though he had a headache.

“You okay Padfoot?” Remus asked.

“Yeah Mooney, I just thought of what he helped us with last. It’s a, it’s a story Mooney. You won’t believe it, hell I lived it, and I don’t believe it. But the short version is, I think Dumbledore was planning to kill Harry.”

For a second the air around them seemed to vibrate with sudden tension. Slowly, carefully, Remus turned and set his tea cup on the table, then turned to face Sirius fully. “He what?” he whispered into the morning air.

“You’ve heard about the scar, right?” Sirius asked, pointing to Harry’s forehead. Remus nodded and he continued. “Well, it wasn’t just a scar. It held a soul fragment. A piece of Voldemort.” Remus cocked an eyebrow and Sirius rushed to finish. “As long as it was there, Moldy couldn’t die. The curse breaker we hired to remove tracking charms and the owl ward found it. We had it removed of course, but there’s no way that Dumbledore didn’t know about it. And he didn’t do anything about it. Given how relatively easy it was to have it removed, I can only guess that Dumbledore wanted Harry to confront Moldy and be killed to get rid of it. The only problem is, I can’t think of any reason to do it that way. Not that makes any sense.”

Remus held up a hand and nodded. “I see. I’ll need a minute to process this. I’m going to take a walk, I’ll be back in a bit.” And he stood and strode off the deck and into the woods.

Harry turned to Sirius. “Is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine.” Sirius said with a sad smile. “He usually does that when something makes him really angry. Especially around the full moon. Anything emotional tends to hit him a little harder, close to the moon. He’ll be back in an hour or two. Until then, we should do something to pass the time. Any thoughts?”

“Well, I should write back to Ron, so he doesn’t worry. Though he might not notice if he’s too busy. Oh and Hermione should be back, we forgot to call her the other day. But then we were kind of busy. I don’t know. What sounds good to you?”

Sirius opened his mouth, then shut it and stroked his chin. “Well, I wouldn’t say it sounds good, but it would be smart. We don’t have any potions stores yet, and there are a few that are really helpful to Remus after a moon. What say we do some brewing, we can at least have the easiest ones ready for him when he comes back.”

Harry made a face but got up anyway. “Okay.” He said, motioning toward the workshop.

“Come on.” Sirius said, standing. “You may not enjoy it, but you’ll at least be able to do it right.”

And thus began Harry’s first real lesson in brewing. It took less than a minute for Sirius to realise that Harry barely knew anything about the brewing process.

“What is that man teaching?” Sirius asked, at least a dozen times. Painstakingly over the next hour he carefully taught Harry about the different ingredients, how they react to each other, why the quantities, and preparation methods matter, and even the importance of stirring direction and cauldron temperature. When Remus came back out of the woods, Harry could say that he had learned more in an hour and a half with Sirius, then he had in two years with Snape.

Sirius leaned out of the shop and waved to Remus. When the werewolf joined them, he pressed a vial into the man’s hand. “Drink Remus, muscle relaxer.”

Remus smiled at his friend and upended the vial into his mouth. Swallowing he made a face. “Still as terrible tasting as ever. At least it’s effective.”

Sirius grinned, accepting the empty vial. “We’ll have the pain potion ready in a few minutes.” He added and turned back to the cauldron. “You wouldn’t believe it, but Dumbledore has Snape teaching potions.”

“Yes I heard.” Remus answered with a grin. “He’s offered me the defence position this year. Severus has promised to make me wolfsbane.”

“Wolfsbane?” Sirius and Harry asked together.

Remus grinned at the pair. “It was invented in the mid eighties. It’s a potion which allows a werewolf to keep their mind during the change. We still transform of course, but we retain control of our faculties. Too bad I’m a terrible brewer.”

Sirius grinned. “Get me the recipe.”

Remus face fell a little. “It’s carefully regulated. But I managed to get a copy of the recipe from a master in Bulgaria, just after it came out. It should be in my bag.” He motioned to the forest.

“Okay, we’ll go grab it in a bit, after we finish this.” Sirius pointed to the bubbling cauldron.

The next few minutes were spent in a combination of quiet brewing and random comments, mostly on the proper way to handle ingredients, for Harry’s benefit.

When the pain potion was done, and Remus had drunk it down, he and Sirius set off to retrieve Remus’ things. While Harry was sent to the house to clean up.

When the two men returned the three discussed the best methods for capturing Peter, and who, if anyone they could trust to be involved. After lunch, Remus had to leave, as he was expected at Hogwarts for his interview.

Deciding to use the time to their advantage, Harry and Sirius headed into Portstewart, to call Hermione.

Along the way, Harry wrote a response to Ron.

Ron,

Thanks for the darkness powder. I haven’t used it yet, but it sounds really cool. Tell the twins I said thanks, and that if they have a way to get more, it would be fun to experiment with. Like, how much does it take to cover just a small room, versus a large space. Would a handful be enough for the great hall, how about just a pinch for the dorms?

I’ve heard a bunch of bad stuff about Sirius, but he won’t talk about it. He’s really nice most of the time, but he gets really quiet whenever I bring up his time in prison, or what he was there for. I’ll keep trying though.

The first Saturday of August sounds good, Hermione will be there too. I still don’t know if I’ll be able to make it, but I’ll try. Tell your dad I said thanks for the invite. I’ll keep it in mind and let you know when I see you.

Harry

When he finished, he read it back over looking for any mistakes or things that might warn Peter of their plans. He had to rewrite it twice to get it right, but was satisfied in the end. Then he had Sirius look it over just to be completely sure. Sirius tried to refuse at first, but after Harry explained that he wanted to be sure he hadn’t accidentally warned the rat, Sirius agreed and after reading it over, said that it was fine.

The call to Hermione went well, and they agreed to meet in two days for lunch at the cafe in Portstewart. After which Harry and Sirius would show the Grangers their new home.

As the two returned to Refuge they discussed the discoveries of the day and how it changed their outlook on the future.


	23. Chapter 23

Friday 26 July

Over breakfast, Harry and Sirius agreed to spend the day, or at least the morning, brewing. Get their potion stores properly stocked, just in case.

However as they approached the workshop, Harry heard a voice coming from beneath the shop.

“Oh it itches, it itches. Oh, please let it stop.” The voice cried.

Harry turned to Sirius, with a worried expression. “Who is that?” He asked. “I don’t recognise the voice.”

Sirius looked at him oddly. “Who is what?”

“That voice, crying about itching.”

Sirius reached up and laid a hand across Harry’s forehead. “No fever, I don’t hear anything Harry?” He cocked his head to one side. “Well, unless you count the wind in the trees, and the surf.” He smiled warmly.

“Oh gods why!” The voice cried again. “Why does it itch so much!”

“There it is again.” Harry said. “You really don’t hear that?”

Now Sirius looked worried. “No Harry, I don’t hear anything. What are you talking about?”

“Someone, I think is caught under the workshop.” He said pointing to the low building. “And she keeps crying about something itching.”

“Oh, oh, oh, yes, yes, that’s it, yes, oh get the itching off, get the itching off.”

Harry blushed. “Umm, I think she figured something out.” He said looking up at his godfather.

Sirius chuckled at his godsons blush. “What did she say pup?” He asked in a suggestive whisper, which earned him a smack on his head.

“We should probably try to help.” Harry said, kneeling down to look under the workshop.

“Well, what do you see?” Sirius asked after a minute of Harry looking around and saying nothing.

“It’s dark, I can’t really see anything.”

“Lumos?” Sirius asked with a grin.

“Oh, right.” Harry replied sheepishly and pulled out his wand. Holding in front of him he laid down on the sand, worming his way under the shop a bit and flicking his wand. “Lumos.” Light flooded the underside of the workshop.

“Oh, oh yes, oh it’s coming off, it’s coming off, it’s coming off.”

Just a little way ahead of him, squirming against one of the supports, was a small brown snake carefully shedding it’s skin, and hissing in a sort of happy-ish way.

“Light, where did the light come from?” The snake asked, looking around.

And Harry understood why Sirius hadn’t heard the voice. He should have guessed. Neither Ron nor Hermione had heard anything at Hogwarts when he had heard the basilisk in the walls. Obviously, Sirius would not be able to hear the hissing of such a tiny snake.

Feeling a little self conscious at having disturbed the snake in what he thought must be a rather private moment, Harry squeaked out a reply. “Umm, sorry, I heard you crying about the itching and I was worried. I can go.” He said and started to squirm backwards.

“No wait.” The snake called, and Harry paused. “You, you could help. It itches so bad. And humans are helpful.”

Confused, Harry cocked his head. “Humans have helped you before?”

“Oh yes, humans are very helpful. They bring me food, and the last time I was itchy like this, they held me and got the itchy off for me, and it was wonderful. And humans are warm, and soft. Not like trees, so rough, and cold. Though, I’ve never had a human talk to me before. Do they not like talking? Or did they not learn how?”

Trying not to chuckle at the snakes string of thought, Harry answered. “It’s a rare talent to be able to talk to snakes. I’m the only one I’ve ever met that could.”

“Oh, well then, I’m glad I’ve met you. Now please, please help me.” Harry was surprised to hear a hint of tears in the snake's voice. He wondered, can snakes cry? Either way, the little snake did seem to be in distress, so he tried to squirm toward the poor thing, but he was unable to move far forward. The workshop was simply too low for him to crawl under it.

“Umm, I can’t fit under there. You’ll have to come to me if I’m to help.” He called.

With several pittius whines the little snake crawled to him, nuzzling his fingers when she got close enough. With some more squirming, Harry managed to get them out from under the shop. In the bright sunlight he was able to see her more clearly, though this in no way helped to identify her species. Not that he knew much about snakes to begin with.

Sirius however leaned over to get a look and whistled. “Corn snake, young one too.” He looked up and saw the confusion in Harry’s eye. “Often kept as pets, they can grow quite large if fed regularly. This one is either very young or has not been well fed.”

“Help me human, help me. The sun is warm and nice, but the itching is terrible.” The little snake barely six inches long was squirming in his hands.

Harry looked up at Sirius. “She says she needs help, something about getting the itching off. I’m not sure what she means.

Sirius indicated a flap of what looked like skin peeling off around her head. “She’s shedding, just rub along her sides, where the skin is coming off. Help her remove it.”

Following Sirius’ instructions, Harry rubbed, and was surprised at how easily the skin peeled back from the rest of the body, revealing brighter more vibrant scales underneath.

As the skin peeled away, the snake hissed in pleasure, and Sirius explained. “A snake’s skin doesn’t grow with them, so every few months or weeks, depending on how fast they grow, they have to shed the old skin. Those kept as pets, which I’m guessing this girl was, often get assistance from their humans to make the shedding easier. In the wild they have to push it off themselves.”

When the last of the skin fell to the sand, the little snake coiled up and hissed happily, thanking Harry profusely before falling asleep. Harry looked up at Sirius and smiled. “She’s very happy now. Thank you for the help. Umm, how do you know so much about snakes?”

Sirius chuckled. “I’d hardly say I know much. Corn snakes are easy to identify, as they are very common. Also fairly hardy, they can survive in almost any climate, hence their popularity as pets. Non-venomous, and usually friendly too. As for the shedding, that’s common to all snakes. But to answer your question, your dad told me.”

“My dad?” Harry questioned, eyes widening.

“Yeah.. Did I not mention it before? I’m sorry Harry, I must have skipped a thought in all the excitement. Your dad was a parselmouth.”

Harry’s jaw hit the beach. “My dad was a… But Dumbledore said…”

Sirius smirked. “It was a well kept Potter secret. And Dumbledore is an idiot. I thought we covered that.”

“A Potter secret?”

Sirius smiled gently. “Yeah, I don’t know the whole of it, but one of the portraits will. The little I was told, was that most of the Potters have been parselmouths, but due to the common prejudice kept it hidden. I guess it’s out of the bag in your case, but you’ll have the chance to decide if it stays out or not.”

Harry nodded slowly, storing the information away for later consideration. He wasn’t quite ready to think about family secrets this morning. Instead, he lifted the snake in his hands. “So, what should we do with this little lady?”

“Well, first,” Sirius drew his wand and levitated the shed skin from the ground, shaking it gently to remove the sand. “Shed snake skin is useful in several potions, so always collect it.” At Harry’s understanding nod, he continued. “Second, it’s up to you to decide what to do with her. From the way she fell asleep in your hands, I’d say she trusts you. Might even have claimed you. But if you aren’t comfortable keeping her, you should decide soon, it would be cruel to keep her for a time, then send her away.”

Harry blinked, he hadn’t considered that way of thinking about it before. But as he looked down at the tiny snake curled on his hands he realised, Sirius was right. Especially with this particular animal. It would be like Sirius sending him back to the Dursleys after this summer. To give the snake a home, a family, and then take it away. And she had been so afraid, nearly unable to care for herself without help. Suddenly feeling a sense of sameness, a connection to this tiny creature that he hadn’t felt for any other before, he had to struggle a little not to clench his fists. Carefully he brought the snake up and wrapped her across his shoulders, letting her share his warmth while she napped, without her being in the way of his hands. Then he looked up at Sirius.

Sirius was smiling warmly. “I thought so. Your dad did the same thing. He never could leave anyone out in the cold, if they asked. Though, he also never kept a pet that didn’t want to stay.”

Unconsciously, Harry stood a little straighter, held himself a little taller. Knowing things like that, that he had done what his dad would have done, without even realising it, made him feel like he had a real connection with the man he would never know.

“Well then.” Sirius added briskly. “Speaking of brewing, shall we get to work?” He pointed with his thumb to the workshop.

Trying to smile happily, and mostly failing, Harry nodded and strode up the ramp to the small building.

The next several hours were filled with the quiet buzz of Sirius explaining different methods of preparing ingredients, and the importance of following recipes to the letter, while pointing out that new recipes are discovered by experimenting. When the day came to a close, Harry felt a lot more confident about his brewing skills, and was eager to try out some experiments of his own.


	24. Chapter 24

Saturday 27 July

Harry and Sirius spent the morning shopping in Portstewart. They started at Mingstrom’s Magical Music Shop, where they picked up a few new albums, and more importantly, an instrument each. Sirius found a serviceable guitar, while Harry became fascinated with a drum set. Sirius also ordered a piano and harpsichord, but those would not be ready for a few months.

They also stopped in at the bike shop to admire the fine machines, and pick up some accessories for their bikes.

Last stop before lunch was a clothing store for a few items, such as extra socks, and shirts. New pajamas, and boots. Board shorts for beach wear, and sandals.

With all their shopping done, and squared away on the Shark’s Kiss, they went to the tea shop where they planned to meet the Grangers.

As they were seated at a table, outside facing the sea, a newspaper left behind by a previous customer, caught Harry’s eye. The lead article was about the fair which would be coming to the area in mid August. As Harry scooped up the paper and began to read about the coming event, Sirius settled in to watch for their visitors.

They didn’t have to wait long, Harry had just finished skimming the article when a familiar voice called. “Harry.” He looked up to see Hermione waving at them. He waved back, returning the paper to the table.

As the small family approached, Harry had the chance to compare Hermione and her parents. He could easily see where she got her hair from, as Mr. Granger had a head full of equally bushy, if shorter, brown hair. Mrs. Granger was a little taller than her husband, and had a regal sort of air about her, as though she were aware of everything around her, but allowed only those things she found pleasant to intrude on her person.

Harry rose as they reached the table. He began to offer seats, but was cut off when Hermione shot forward to wrap her arms around him and squeeze the stuffing out. Chuckling he squeezed back and whispered in her ear, “missed you.”

With a huff and a surprised look she pushed away, holding him at arm's length, her jaw falling open. “Wha..” she said, eloquently.

Smirking, Harry motioned to the table. “Please, join us.” He said, and pulled a seat out for Hermione.

When they were all seated, Sirius waved to the server who was at another table. Then turned to the table. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I thought we could share a cuppa here, then if we all get along, Harry and I would invite you all to join us for some beach fare.” He smiled warmly, then turned to the server who was now approaching. “A pot of tea, and some finger sandwiches, please.” He said, laying a folded ten pound note on the tray in the server’s hand.

Blinking in astonishment, the server whisked the note away, and nodded. “Right away sir.” He said and hustled off.

Mr. Granger turned a slightly shocked face towards Sirius. “That was, not what I expected.” He said, cautiously.

Sirius grinned. “I like surprising people.” He offered a hand. “My friends call me Siri. Best to wait for full introductions when we aren’t quite so public.”

“Daniel.” Mr. Granger responded, accepting the offered hand for a shake. “You seem to have been well raised. My wife, Emma, has the same manners.” He turned to indicate Mrs. Granger.

Mrs. Granger smiled at her husband. “The term dear, is highborn. It is only impolite to say it in certain circles.” She offered a hand across the table to Sirius. “It is a pleasure to meet you sir.”

“An honor, milady.” Sirius said taking Mrs. Granger’s hand and planting a kiss over her knuckles. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever been called highborn, but the term certainly fits.” He smiled and winked as he let go.

Harry and Hermione watched this exchange with curiosity. Then turned to each other. Hermione began to whisper, rather loudly, but Harry stopped her with a finger over her lips. “Later Hermione. This is just a meet up. We’ll get into the heavy discussion back home. Here, we laugh, tell jokes, sip tea, and stick to light topics. I’ll explain everything later.” Then he dropped his hand to offer it in the proper manner.

Carefully Hermione placed her hand in his, and in an imitation of his godfather, Harry leaned over to kiss the air above her knuckles. “Siri has been teaching me proper manners this summer.” He said at the surprised look on her face.

“Well done.” Mrs. Granger was smiling warmly, “but let us dispense with overly affected standards and get to know each other.”

Tea and sandwiches were delivered, and conversation fell to what could be termed small talk.

Eventually, the tea was finished, the small plate of sandwiches was empty, and it was time to leave the restaurant. Sirius paid the bill, after a brief argument with Mr. Granger, and Harry and Sirius led the Grangers down to the dock, where the Shark’s Kiss was tied.

“Shark’s Kiss?” Mr. Granger asked as they approached.

“We bought it used, so it already had a name. We decided we liked it though, so we kept it.” Sirius answered.

“Come on, I’ll show you around.” Harry offered tugging on Hermione’s arm. Not that there was much to show, the upper deck consisted of the pilots cabin, an open space where the wheel and navigation equipment was kept, and the deck, which was just a little over eight feet of open flooring. Below, there was the mess, a small dining and kitchen area. The cabin, which consisted of three sets of bunk beds. And storage, which originally was a tiny little space for extra gear. After the expansion charms Sirius had placed on it, it was almost big enough to hold a second Sharks’ Kiss. Other spells had been added in a few places for extra comfort. Warming and drying charms around the beds, to keep them comfortable. Cushioning charms on the mattresses themselves, as these were little more than padding wrapped in latex to begin with. And preservative charms on the cabinets in the mess, to keep food fresh.

Still the two had fun for several minutes looking through the various spaces, Harry explaining about the purchase and upgrading of the boat. Until they reached the cabin, where Hermione pulled Harry into a quick hug then asked the most important question she could think of. “What’s going on?”

Harry smiled. “You’ll see in a bit. It only takes about twenty minutes to get to the house.”

Hermione swatted his arm. “You know what I mean Harry. You’re acting different.”

A confused look swam across Harry’s face. “Different?” He cocked his head to one side. “Different how?”

“You’re not usually this,” she motioned to his almost bouncing form, “hyper.”

Harry glanced down at himself and pinked. “Well, I’m excited. I get to show off my home to my best friend. And I have a,” he paused, struggling with words, “guardian, who actually wants to meet my friends, and talk about things, and teach me stuff.”

Hermione smiled warmly. “Oh, Harry. I think I understand now.” She whispered and wrapped herself around him in the tightest embrace he’d ever felt before. It squeezed the breath out of him, and yet was somehow comfortable. And as he squeezed back, he felt something shift, deep inside, like a puzzle piece had just fitted into place.

“He was about to open his mouth to ask Hermione about the feeling when a voice fluttered down the hall. “Harry, Hermione. Are you two coming up for air? Or do we need to come rescue you from the squid?”

Hermione blushed deeply, but Harry simply looked confused. “Squid?” He asked, looking at Hermione quizzically. Clearly she had understood something he hadn’t. “What was that about?”

Almost glowing red from the strength of her blush, Hermione swatted his arm and said in a hushed voice. “I’ll tell you later, we should go back up.” And without explaining anything, she grabbed his hand and dragged him back up to the deck, where the adults were waiting.

While they had been running around the boat and saying a proper hello, Sirius had gotten them moving, and now Portstewart was little more than a line of buildings in the distance. The adult Grangers were standing together, a little apart from Sirius, talking quietly.

Harry, feeling a little awkward, brought Hermione over to where Sirius was steering and introduced them properly. “Sirius, I’d like to introduce my friend Hermione. She’s the smartest witch in our year. Hermione, may I introduce my godfather, Sirius Black, who has been caring for me this summer.” Then he stepped back as Sirius had explained was appropriate, to allow the newly introduced people to say hello, shake hands, or whatever other greeting customs they were familiar with, and waited.

“Hello Mr. Black.” Hermione said, holding out her hand.

Sirius smirked. “A pleasure miss Granger.” Sirius replied, taking her hand and kissing the air above her knuckles. “Please, call me Sirius.”

Blushing again, Hermione squeaked. “Umm, thank you sir, and please call me Hermione.”

Stifling grins and chuckles, the adult Grangers approached. Hermione, noting them turned and introduced Harry properly.

“Mum, dad, please allow me to introduce my best friend, Harry Potter.” She said, valiantly ignoring the flush of her skin. “Harry, my parents, Daniel, and Emma Granger.”

Holding out his hand to Mr. Granger, Harry nodded. “A pleasure to meet you both.” Mr. Granger took his hand in a firm grip and pumped it twice, narrowing his eyes as he looked Harry over. Mrs. Granger offered her own hand, which Harry took and kissed the air over her knuckles, imitating his godfather again.

“Delightful.” Mrs. Granger said cheerfully. “And you clearly treat our daughter well, which to me, means that you shall be welcome in our home and heart. Even if it does take Dan a little while to accept a suitor.” She smacked playfully at her husband's arm.

Sirius choked, and failed to hold in a bark of laughter. Though he did manage not to fall over. Harry, wondering what a suitor was, turned to look incredulously at his godfather. “What?”

Sirius returned Harry's incredulous look. “Pup, she asked if you two,” he pointed to Harry and Hermione, “are dating. Sort of.”

“Dating?” Harry asked, confused. He’d sort of only just gotten used to the idea of having friends. But he couldn’t be dating anyone. That wouldn’t be fair to them. Between how he felt about himself, no matter what Sirius said, he knew he wasn’t normal, and the fact that he had a psychopath after him, he was amazed that anyone wanted to be his friend, forget about anything else.

Hermione had watched this exchange, growing warmer and warmer, as her blush grew. Until Harry had turned around looking at them all in confusion at the mention of dating. She recognised the moment when he realised what they were talking about and saw him get even more confused. She’d noticed over the last couple years, that there was something very different about Harry Potter. His reactions to normal things were unexpected. It had taken him longer to become accustomed to the meals at Hogwarts. As though he were more confused at the amount of food on the tables, than he was about how it was made or how it got there, which still puzzled her. And he was continually surprised at the idea of someone wanting to talk to him. Even before the whole heir of Slytherin nonsense, he would most often snap at anyone speaking to him. It was most of the reason she and Ron were his only real friends. Most people weren’t willing to put up with his snappishness. Ron, she thought, did because he got to say he was the best friend of Harry Potter, while she did because she didn’t have any other friends. Not that she was willing to part from her friends, even if she did have others, but she had thought a few times that Harry would be better served to calm his reactions a bit. And that seemed to be happening. That was the difference she had seen, and not been able to properly articulate to her best friend earlier. When she had last seen him he had snapped at everyone, including her and Ron, now, he hadn’t snapped at anyone in close to an hour.

Noticing that conversation had continued while she had been lost in thought she tuned back in.

Harry was looking embarrassed and explaining that he hadn’t started thinking about dating yet, which seemed to calm her father. Then Sirius was pointing to an approaching island, and she turned to see a small drop of land in the vast expanse of ocean. Jutting out from it was a dock, which they approached quickly. Following the line of wooden planks, she saw a house, nestled into the trees on the far side of a little beach. Eyes widening she turned to Harry, who grinned and nodded. As he stepped up next to her she whispered in a tone of reverence. “It’s beautiful. Is it your godfather’s?”

“Ours, actually.” Harry replied, earning a confused look. “He and dad bought it, the island I mean, just after they left school. We, he and I, built the house this summer. Just finished it a little over a week ago.” He had not been whispering.

Mr. Granger asked in an incredulous tone. “You built a house, in a month?”

Sirius chuckled and replied. “More like two weeks. Well, maybe two and a half. I wasn’t really counting.”

The adult Grangers blinked, and stared at the man. Jaws gaping.

Harry smirked. “It’s great what can be done with magic.”

The Grangers snapped their jaws closed, and slowly nodded. Mrs. Granger turned a smile to Harry. “Yes, of course. Magic would make a difference. Perhaps you’d be willing to show us some? Hermione mentioned that you could do magic out here without getting in trouble.”

Harry grinned broadly and nodded. “Sure, umm.” He looked around, and his eyes fell on the Grangers overnight bags. Indicating the bags with a tilt of his head he asked. “Do you mind?”

Hermione, catching on to his meaning, ran over and took her mother's hand. Then she turned and nodded to Harry. “Go ahead.”

Harry pulled out his wand and flicked it at the bags, and then towards the house.”Wingardium Mobila.” He intoned, and the bags rose into the air, swirled around for a moment as though orienting themselves, and zipped away, following the boardwalk, landing on the deck next to the front door.

Mr. Granger blinked, and looked from where the bags now rested, to Harry, then back to the bags, and back to Harry again. Then he stuck out his hand. “You can call me Daniel.” He said.

Harry blinked at the older man, then returning his wand to its sheathe, he took the offered hand and shook. “You can call me Harry.” 

Mrs. Granger smiled warmly at the sight and turned to Hermione. “And what about you dear? Do we finally get to see what this education is doing for you?”

Hermione had finally gotten her blush under control, but pinked again at this question. “Oh, well, yes of course. But, we haven’t really learned anything impressive yet.”

“Nonsense dear.” Mrs. Granger chided gently. “What Harry just did was impressive enough. Surely you could do that as well?”

“Well, probably. But, I don’t know that spell, it’s not one we learned at Hogwarts.”

“Ah, something his Godfather taught him then. Something else perhaps?” She looked hopeful.

Harry came to her rescue. “I’ll teach you Hermione. It’s pretty simple, just a combination of the levitation and movement charms, Sirius found. In the meantime, how about that flame summoning charm you did for us back in first year. That’s pretty impressive.”

Both Grangers turned to their daughter, identical looks of curiosity on their faces.

With an awkward gulp, Hermione nodded and raised her wand. “Lacarnum Inflamare.” She incanted, and a small ball of blue flame appeared in her outstretched palm.

Smiling happily, Harry held up his hands as though to warm them. Then he turned to the Grangers who were just barely holding in looks of astonishment. “It’s not actually hot, just warm, but it’s great for cold days. Come on, feel it.” He held his hands back up to the flame to demonstrate.

Slowly, the two adults came close and stretched out a hand each toward the little blue flame. As they felt the warmth flowing from the small fire they relaxed.

Sirius broke the reverie of the moment. “There’s more up at the house, and plenty of opportunity to show off.” Everyone turned toward him, the blue flame winking out as Hermione dropped it. “Hermione, how long can you get that to last?”

“Umm, not sure, why?”

“I was thinking it might make a good addition to the deck, place one on each side of the stairs. If you make a small adjustment, they’ll ward off insects too. Lilly used to do that when we went camping. I can show you how later if you want.”

A familiar light glowed in Hermione’s eyes as she nodded cheerfully. “Oh, yes please, thank you Mr. Black.” She said rapidly.

“Sirius.” The man said quickly. “Call me Sirius. Mr. Black makes me think my father’s around. And that would be terrifying.”

“Didn’t get along with your dad?” Mr. Granger asked as they climbed off the Shark’s Kiss.

Sirius turned a distant smile to the man. “We fought on opposite sides of a war. He tried to kill me, three times, that I know of.” He said quietly, so the others wouldn’t overhear.

Mr. Granger paled. “That’s..” He trailed off.

Sirius nodded. “Yeah. It’s kind of a touchy subject. He served the man that killed Harry’s parents. For his sake, I try not to bring it up. Eventually he’ll need to know everything. But right now, we’re still getting to know each other. I want him to know who I am, before we start getting into who my parents were, or my cousins.”

“I take it the war was bad?” Mr. Granger asked, holding Sirius back from the others, who were chatting about magic as they made their way toward the house.

Sirius nodded solemnly. “Lilly said it was a civil war. Not that I ever really understood the difference. But she also said if I ever wanted to explain it to someone from outside the magical world, it was the best way to explain it.”

“And who’s Lilly?”

“Harry’s mother. She was a student with us, myself and James, Harry’s dad. We all went to Hogwarts together. Bunch of us ended up on different sides.”

“Anything you’re willing to tell me about it would be appreciated.” Mr. Granger said softly. “Hermione has been a little sparing with the details.”

Sirius grinned. “That’s not surprising.” At Mr. Grangers confused look he continued. “For two reasons really. Most importantly, there aren’t a lot of details available to the public. It was too recent. Nearly everyone lost family and friends, so most people don’t like talking about it. And there haven’t yet been a lot of books written on it either. It takes a few decades for the wizarding world to start writing a lot about anything. Second, muggleborn often don’t tell their parents about certain things. Notably anything that might make a parent pull their child from Hogwarts. It’s a scary prospect, being shown this amazing world, then being told you can’t be part of it. A lot of muggleborn, only ever tell their parents the good parts, just so they won’t be taken away.” He smiled thinly.

Mr. Granger contemplated that answer for a moment. “I guess that makes sense. Is it really dangerous?”

Sirius shrugged. “Depends on your perspective. I understand it’s a lot more dangerous from the muggle perspective, but that’s mostly because of the difference in healers. Our healers can treat most injuries in a few seconds, where as it takes days, or even weeks in the non-magical world. So, something that would be a long term injury, say a broken bone, for you, would be a night in the infirmary for us. Harry’s had three since he started at Hogwarts. The longest stay he’s had in the school’s hospital wing is four days. And that was due to the actions of a deranged man who tried to kill him.”

Mr. Granger blinked. “Someone tried to kill him, in the school?” It was said more like a statement than a question. Despite the incredulity.

Sirius answered anyway. “Yeah, when I get the chance, I’m going to be having a talk with the headmaster about security.”

“Agreed.” Came a swift reply. “I surely hope there won’t be any more instances like that.”

“Yeah, me too.” Sirius started to say something else but was interrupted by a call from the deck.

“Hey, are you two planning to join us?” Mrs. Granger called. “Harry is offering us a tour, and we’re waiting on you.”

“Oops.” Mr. Granger said, grinning. “Well, I’m sleeping on the couch tonight. Perhaps we can continue this discussion later?”

Sirius shared in the grin. “Of course, and please, call me Sirius. I’m guessing even if they don’t start dating in the next few years, Harry and Hermione will be a part of each other's lives for a while. As parents, or surrogate parent in my case. We should at least get along.”

“Daniel then, and I agree.”

The tour went much the same as Remus’ had, and Harry ended it in the same way, with what he thought would be Hermione’s favorite room in the house, the library.

“It’s huge.” She intoned with awe. Jaw agape, looking around the room. Then she saw the books piled on the table. “But why are there so many unshelved books?”

Harry did his best not to look sheepish. “We got interrupted as we were sorting them. I was hoping you might be willing to help finish.” He watched his feet, as they slid around each other in embarrassment.

To his surprise it was Mrs. Granger who responded. “We’d be happy to help, it would be a great way to get to know each other. And a bit of work never hurt anyone.”

He smiled up at her. “Thank you Mrs. Granger.”

“Pah.” She smirked. “Call me Emma. It’s only fair, if you’re going to be Hermione’s friend, that we be on friendly terms as well.”

Harry blinked. Before today he had only been asked to use first names with adults by Sirius and Remus. Now two adults he had never met before had done so. He wasn’t sure how to handle this situation so he just nodded. “Yes ma’am. I mean, Emma.”

Emma chuckled. “Well, shall we?” She motioned to the library “We can talk while we work.”

As they parsed books, steadily reducing the pile, they discussed the various subjects each book pertained to. When Daniel Granger read out the title Transfiguration for Beginners, Hermione launched into an explanation of the class, and a few of the spells they had learned so far. Emma Granger found 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi, which got a snort from Sirius and a three minute rant on how out of date the book was. It had been written a hundred years ago, and included plants which had not been seen in over a century at that time, and left out a dozen that had been discovered in the three decades preceding its writing.

Which naturally led to a discussion of why the school chose to use it. Sirius patiently explained that the wizarding world was not simply full of people obsessed with holding onto their traditions, but also people obsessed with maintaining the status quo, by any means necessary, including ignoring the changes in the world around them.

Then came the first scare of the day. Harry knew the visit couldn’t be completely normal, or without bumps. Though he did admit, if only to himself, that he hadn’t considered this one. Even though he really should have. Emma returned to the pile on the table, reached for the next book on the top of a stack, and leaped back letting out a soft scream.

Daniel rushed over, followed by Sirius, Hermione, and Harry. “What is it dear?”

She pointed to the stack. “A snake, it startled me. Apologies everyone, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Hermione was the first to respond. “It’s alright mum. A snake would startle anyone. Is it a poisonous one? Harry, can you get rid of it?”

Daniel chuckled. “Hermione dear, I know this is Harry’s house, but it’s hardly appropriate to ask the youngest person in the room to deal with a threat.” He gave her a speaking look, which she returned then turned her gaze on Harry, who was striding forward.

“You’d be surprised what Harry can handle dad, watch.” Hermione pointed to where Harry was already striding towards where the snake had been seen.

Leaning around the pile, Harry reached down and picked something up. Then he turned and showed them the tiny snake in his hands. And then an odd, lilting hiss issued from his mouth. It was a silky, slithering sort of sound, which crept across the spine.

“Harry, you’re speaking parseltongue.” Hermione called. Dan and Emma whipped around to stare at their daughter.

“Parseltongue?” They asked together.

Harry reached up and draped the snake across his shoulders, as she had requested while the Grangers were talking with each other. Then looked firmly at Hermione to be sure he would be speaking english when he next opened his mouth. “I haven’t named her yet. She just showed up yesterday. I left her upstairs in my room, but I guess she found a way out.”

Daniel cocked an eyebrow. “So, she’s a pet?”

“Yeah, corn snake. Completely harmless, and still basically a baby. Maybe two or three months old. It’s kind of hard to tell for sure, we’re still looking up information. But she came from a pet shop. Not sure how she got here though. We just found her on the beach, complaining about how much shedding itches.”

“Complaining about..” Emma trailed off then fixed Harry with a look. “You can speak to her?”

Harry nodded but it was Hermione who answered. “Harry’s a parselmouth. He can talk to all snakes.”

Emma blinked at her daughter, then smiled. “And this is something common to magical people?”

“No.” The answer from Harry was flat.

“You sound displeased about that?” The lift of Daniels voice made it a question and Hermione was again quick to answer.

“It’s a rare gift, first seen in the U.K. with Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts. History sees him as a dark wizard, and the first blood purist. There was a dueling club last year, and it got revealed to the whole school about Harry’s ability. For a while they all thought that Harry was his descendant, which was upsetting.”

“That’s a nice way to put it Hermione. For about three months, I was being spit on in the hallways by people claiming I was obviously evil, and told how my parents would be ashamed and were probably glad they were dead so they didn’t have to see what I’d become.”

At that, Sirius finally stopped laughing quietly behind a shelf, where he had been since Emma had mentioned a snake, and strode forward. He didn’t stop until he had Harry wrapped in a hug. “That’s ludicrous Harry. They would be very proud of you. Not least for putting up with that, and not hexing them all.” Unable to think of anything else, he held his godson tight, trying to assure him that at least one person in the world didn’t think he was bad for being able to talk to snakes.”

He was surprised when a second set of arms encircled them. He looked over to see Hermione joining in the hug as well, and whispering her own encouragement.

After a few long moments Harry began to wriggle and they slowly let go. “It’s okay, thank you both. I’m okay. I never really thought they were right, it was just,” he searched for what it was, “I don’t know. I just wish they wouldn’t change their opinions based on nothing. One day I’m the hero, and the next I’m the villain. It’s tiring.”

Daniel chuckled, catching everyone’s attention. He pointed to Harry with a grin. “Now that, I can understand entirely.” At the quizzical looks of every other person in the room he cocked an eyebrow at his wife and continued. “As a dentist I can tell you that every day, I get patients who hate coming in for anything. There are even movies out there that portray us as pain dealing sadistic monsters. Then I also get a few patients who look at me as though I were their holy savior, because I can fix what’s wrong and make them feel much better than they did when they walked in.” He smiled warmly at Harry. “So, I can understand how you feel, even if the reason you feel that way is a little out of my experience. I don’t understand how the hero/villain thing got started though.” He looked a question at Hermione, who pinked, and began to explain about the boy who lived nonsense, pulling him off to the side, while the others went back to sorting books.

A few minutes later Hermione and Dan rejoined the others, Dan shooting Sirius a meaningful look. And slowly they returned to a steady pace.

Eventually, Hermione found a book that caught her curiosity and she had to know immediately what it was. “Hey Harry.” She called, holding up her find.

Approaching, Harry saw that it was the Celtic Animagus book she was holding. “What is it Hermione?” He asked, thinking he might know, but wanting to be sure.

She showed him the book. “I’ve read a little on the animagus transformation, but I’ve never seen this before. Where did you find it?”

It took Harry a moment to recall where Sirius had said the book had come from. “Family library, I think it was at Potter Lodge. You’d have to ask Dobby to be sure though, he was the one that picked it up for us.”

Hermione’s eyes lit with the fire she got whenever they were researching. “Wait, do you mean you’re learning it?”

A little worried about what her reaction might be, Harry took an unconscious step back. “Yeah, it’s slow, and mostly a mental exercise though. I doubt Ron would ever bother.”

Hermione took a step forward, maintaining their distance. “Can I learn?” She asked, continuing to follow as he slowly stepped back.

Harry gulped, that light in Hermione’s eye was a little frightening. “Umm, yeah, I can, umm, we can work on that a little later, umm after we finish.” He tried to motion to the books still waiting to be shelved, but he’d backed into one of the shelves, and raising his arm brought it into contact with Hermione’s hip.

With a squee he never thought he would hear from Hermione Granger the girl launched forward wrapping her arms around him a hug he thought sure would crush the life out of him, then started jumping up and down, blurting out “thank you Harry” every few seconds.

From somewhere nearby, he wasn’t sure where, as his vision was obscured by a mess of bushy hair and squealing Hermione, there came the sound of adult laughter. Three distinct voices.

Hearing it, Hermione stopped and turned to face the adults, going pink again.

All three of them were standing together, looking at the two younger persons, identical indulgent smiles on their faces.

Emma was apparently chosen as their spokesperson. “Well, what has you so excited dear?”

Hermione held up the book she was still clutching. “Harry said he’d help.” She said in an almost reverent whisper.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Did he?” He turned a look of strained credulity on Harry. “And have you mastered it yet?”

As Harry pulled himself up to answer, Sirius broke and started laughing. Harry scowled at his godfather. “Of course I haven’t, you know that. But I can tell her what I’ve done so far, and how I’ve reached the point where I'm at.” He said, trying not to pout at his godfather’s choice of jokes.

Holding up a hand, Sirius pushed himself back up from where he had doubled over in his laughter. Earning scowls from the rest of the room. “I’m just teasing pup, no need to get all scowlly on me.”

“Is that even a word?” Hermione asked in a stage whisper.

“I just made it a word.” Sirius answered. “Harry, of course you can share whatever you’ve learned with Hermione. I’m just pointing out that you haven’t actually learned enough to qualify as a teacher. So, Hermione, before you try anything serious, you should talk with someone you trust who has already completed the transformation. Though to be fair, we don’t know anyone who has completed that transformation yet.” He pointed to the book in Hermione’s hand.

Blinking down at the book, Hermione asked. “But, hasn’t professor Mcgonagall completed it?” She looked from Sirius to Harry and back.

“Nope.” Sirius replied. “She completed the Roman method, which involves a potion, some meditation, and a lot of self transfiguration. That is the Celtic method, which is a lot of meditation, followed by simply changing.”

Harry broke in to continue the explanation. “It’s an entirely different method, that was lost for a long time, until this guy rediscovered it. It’s faster, and safer, but I’m kind of stuck. I can get about halfway through the change, then I just revert back to human and have to start all over again.” He shrugged.

“Wait,” Hermione held up a hand, “how long have you been trying?”

“Uhh,” Harry had to check his mental calendar, “around three weeks, ish.”

Hermione’s jaw dropped. “Harry, it usually takes years.”

“Not with this method.” He said, tapping the book in her hand. “At the rate I’ve been going, I should be able to change by the time Hogwarts starts again.” He smiled proudly.

“Harry that’s amazing!” She cried and wrapped him in another hug. “Oh my god, why doesn’t everyone use this method?”

Sirius took over again. “I’ve got this one pup. There are a few reasons. The most important is that it isn’t well known. The Celtic Druids hid their method when they were persecuted by the invading Romans. It was then lost to time until,” he pointed to the book, “however Rowan was a muggleborn. So when he published his findings, none of the purebloods would even look at it. Lilly actually found it, and showed it to us. Which is how I knew of it. When Harry mentioned his interest in learning, I had Dobby pick up James’ copy of the book for him to study.”

Hermione had to pick her jaw up again, that was happening a lot today. “Wow, that’s amazing. But why wouldn’t the purebloods use it if it’s better?”

Harry laid a hand on her shoulder.” Hermione, think of Malfoy. He won’t admit that you’re right about anything, even if you were saying it was cold out and he was shivering. They just won’t admit that they are wrong about anything. So they didn’t bother even reading Rowan’s work, they just declared it to be useless and ignored it.”

“Which gives those of us with actual working brains an advantage. Because one of the best things about the Celtic method, is that you aren’t limited to one form like the Roman method. Instead you can change into whatever form suits your needs at any given moment.”

“So say you need to cross a river, you turn into a fish. A few minutes later you have to cross a deep ravine, you turn into a bird. Later you have to climb a tree, turn into a squirrel.”

Emma cut in. “Okay, now I want to learn this.” She said earnestly, and a round of chuckles went around the room.

Then Hermione got a thoughtful look. Turning to Sirius she asked quietly. “Could she?”

Sirius blinked. “Umm, Hermione, your mom isn’t magical.”

Hermione waved the objection away. “I know that, but has anyone ever tried? I mean, it can’t hurt for her to learn the process, and even if it doesn't work for her, would it hurt anything for her to try?”

For a minute there was silence in the room as everyone considered the question. Harry scratched at his chin, Hermione glared around at everyone, Daniel frowned and nodded consideringly, Emma smiled at her daughter, and Sirius gaped, jaw opening and closing.

Then a peal of deep true laughter rang through the room and Sirius was doubled over again. When he came up for air he pointed at Harry. “Pup, marry that girl. Hermione, that is the greatest prank idea I have ever heard of. And if it works, oh my, nothing could tilt the magical world on its head more effectively than a muggle learning a trick of magic so difficult that most would call it impossible, and even those who know it say it’s too hard for most people.” He fell forward again, barely catching himself before he fell completely over.

When at last he had himself under control, and the others were shooting him bemused looks, he stood up and looked at the adult Grangers. “I can’t guarantee that it will work, but I would be honored to teach you both what I can.” He said with a little bow.

Dan and Emma exchanged looks then smiled at Sirius. “We accept.” They said together.

Then Emma continued. “But, I think we should finish getting these books shelved first, then maybe have a proper lunch before we get started on a big project.”

Grinning, Sirius nodded and they all returned to the pile.

Lunch was late enough, they could have called it dinner and no one would argue. By the time they finished sorting and shelving the library it was late. Tummy’s were grumbling, but everyone was smiling and feeling accomplished. Hermione grabbed Harry’s hand to drag him to the table, while the adults watched with varying expressions. Emma, fond amusement, Daniel, concern, and Sirius, wary laughter. Before the kids got to the dining room, Dobby ushered everyone outside, and the Grangers wondered over the little guy.

Then Dobby brought out kabobs, bits of meat and vegetables and mushrooms, skewered on long thin rods, and cooked. Then Dobby was invited to join them for the meal. They sat out on the deck, enjoying food, and friends, and discussed the differences in how the stars are studied by the two cultures. Which turned to talk of the moon and its effects on the tides, on potions, and on werewolves. Which brought the conversation back to animagi, and how being one can protect from the werewolf’s bite. Which sprang into a discussion of how the transformation is achieved. Both the Roman version, used by Sirius and James, and Peter, as well as every other animagus that Sirius knew personally. And the Celtic version which he and Harry were now studying, he wouldn’t call it practicing until one of them actually managed to change.

As the chill of the night air began to settle around them, the adults decided it was time for bed. Having gotten a solid idea on how to begin meditating towards the animagus transformation, even Hermione agreed.

The Grangers were shown to the guest bedrooms, and everyone settled in for the night.


	25. Chapter 25

Sunday 28 July

In the quiet hours before dawn, Hermione had snuck into Harry’s room. She had intended to wake him quickly, so she could ask him about those things she hadn’t wanted to bring up in front of everyone else. But she was captivated by the sight of his living space.

Everything was neatly put away, a single book lay on the bedside table. She couldn’t make out the title in the dim light from the window, where the almost full moon shone in. The walls were a warm brown, the ceiling a cheery blue, and the floor was carpeted in a deep forest green. It gave the feeling of being outside, but with all the warmth and comfort of home. Across the walls, animals gamboled about, deer and dogs mostly, but here and there a snake would peek out from behind the others, and a snowy owl flew lazily above them.

There came a sound from the bed, a soft rumbling, almost like a growl. Moving closer she caught it again, and realized it was Harry. He was snoring softly. Oddly she found it endearing rather than annoying, as though finding a slight flaw in her hero friend was something to be cherished. It was rare that she found flaws in Harry, he was usually so careful to hide them. At first he had been this amazing figure, like a legend come to life. Then at school he was, in the beginning, just another face in the wall of scorn she received for being the smartest in the class. Just like her primary school experience.

But then came the night that changed everything. Ron had been a prat, just like most days, but it had been especially bad that day. She’d never told them, but she’d gotten a letter that morning from mum and dad. Her granny had passed away. Her granny who had always helped her with the other children, who had encouraged her to branch out and make friends. She had felt more alone that day than she had in years. And then Ron had said the very worst thing he could have said, that she had no friends. He was right of course, she hadn’t managed to connect with anyone at Hogwarts, and had been asking herself for a week before if it was worth staying and learning magic, only to be an outcast in both worlds. At least, if she went back, it would be lonely, but she knew how to get by. And she knew from her parents stories that it would get better, that she would find friends eventually, when she went to University if not before. She spent most of that day in the toilet, crying and weighing the pros and cons of staying and going. Then came that awful stench, and the troll. For one terrifying moment she truly thought she was going to die. 

Then he came, blazing through the door like a knight in a story. He took charge, yelling out orders to his red headed squire. Together, they wrestled the creature, Harry literally, jumping on the things back. Yes it was Ron who finally managed to bring the thing down, with the spell he would never have gotten right if she hadn’t helped him, but it was Harry, she knew, who had brought them here. Harry who realised she was missing and came to save her. And Hermione, for all she was a teacher's pet, a librarian in training, a silly swot, Hermione knew how to say thank you when a hero saves your life. When the teachers came, she took all the blame on herself. She told a lie, not the first of her life, that had been when she was four and had been caught with the biscuit tin. Just the first at Hogwarts, and to her surprise and delight, the teachers had believed her. They must have noticed that she had skipped all her classes that day except the first, but they must not have been thinking very well at that moment.

For a while she had wondered, even daydreamed a little, about one day marrying her hero. She figured all girls did, and how many of them had a real hero to dream about. But had abandoned those thoughts last year. Harry seemed completely oblivious to even the idea of dating, she had seen many girls giving him the eye, until all the heir nonsense came up. Though even after, there were still a few. Even some of the Slytherin girls had been eyeing him after the dueling club. With all that competition she knew she had no chance, when Harry finally started to notice girls, he wouldn’t look at plain, frumpy, frizzy haired Hermione. He’d look at exotic, dusky, pouty lipped Parvati, or maybe vibrant, curvy, Lavender, who had already begun developing at the end of last term. Or maybe he’d look outside of Gryffindor. For all the harsh sentiments pointed at the Slytherins, only Pansy and Millicent were unappealing, Tracey Davis, and Daphne Greengrass were both very pretty. And if he liked brains, there was Padma Patil, Parvati’s twin sister. And the dynamo duo, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot, the hufflepuff girls were very friendly, and very pretty. No, he would not notice Hermione, so she had left behind her silly feelings for her hero. But standing here, in his bedroom, listening to him quietly snore, she could pretend, for one tiny moment, that she was someone special, someone who was pretty, or interesting.

Not noticing the moisture in her eyes, she moved forward, intent on waking her friend. At the edge of the bed, she stopped, and peered down at his sleeping form. It was warm in the room, and he had thrown off the heavy blankets, leaving only a simple sheet to cover him. She paused, looking down on the supine body. No one would know, she thought, if I just peek. Slowly, carefully so as not to wake him, she lifted a corner of the sheet. The shadows, and poor lighting made it difficult to tell if he was wearing anything, until she had the sheet almost completely off of him. Peering down the length of his body something caught her eye. A tiny movement near his waist. A small, round tube, poking up, she gasped, dropping the sheet. He was naked, he was naked under the sheet, and she had just seen.

“Hermione?” Harry said, leaning up and reaching for his glasses.

“Uhh, umm, uhh.” Hermione stammered, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t sound completely made up.

Then he swung his legs out from under the sheet, and she turned away, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

“Hermione, what’s wrong?” Harry asked, moving closer and reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

“Harry.” She squeaked, going very still.

Moving around to look her in the eyes, Harry gave her an earnest look. “Hermione, what’s wrong?”

Staring forcefully at his face, Hermione chewed on her lip. “Harry, umm, shouldn’t you put some clothes on?” She felt her face grow even warmer at the thought of her best friend standing naked in front of her. For a moment, she considered running out of the room. But Harry was blocking the way, and she felt sure that if she tried to run he would grab hold of her.

Harry blinked, and gave her a confused look. Then he looked down at himself, and back up to her eyes. “Hermione, you’ve seen me in pajamas before.” He said slowly, as though the words didn’t make sense to him.

She couldn’t help it, it was just a reaction, she looked down. And stared, and gaped, and stared some more. Harry was completely clothed, shirt and bottoms, a light, smooth material. They looked quite comfortable, but then, what had she seen? And then it hit her, the snake, Harry’s new pet. It must have been in the bed, possibly sleeping on Harry’s chest for warmth. She had seen it move and thought she was seeing..something else.

Catching hold of herself, she yanked her eyes back up to Harry’s. He still looked confused, so she tried to explain. “Snakeinyourbedthoughtyouwerenaked.” Then she realised she had spoken so fast even she couldn’t understand what she had said.

Harry reached up and gripped her shoulders. “Hermione, slow down. I can’t understand when you talk that fast. My brain is too slow.” He grinned at her. “I think I heard something about a snake.”

Nodding, she caught her breath and slowed her breathing, when did it get fast, no time to think about that now. “The snek was on your lap, and it moved. I thought you were naked so I turned away.” She must be glowing, there was so much heat in her cheeks. She was going to put a lumos to shame. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the horrified reaction on Harry’s face.

Then she heard chuckling. He was laughing at her, laughing at her embarrassment. Her eyes prickled, she needed to get out of there, she wouldn’t let him see her cry, not over this.

“Hermione, did you just say, snek?”

She heard him, heard what he said, but it made no sense. He wasn’t talking about her discomfort, or the glow of her cheeks. He asked about what she had said. Then she ran back over what she had said, and felt her cheeks grow warmer again. She had mispronounced the word snake. She had been in such a hurry that she had actually mispronounced a word. She hadn’t done that since before Hogwarts.

Harry was talking again, saying something important maybe. It gave her enough to focus on to pull herself back out of her thoughts. “Snek, I like it. What do you think girl?” He asked over her shoulder. There was a sound she couldn’t identify from behind her, and Harry spoke in parseltongue. As usual, it sent shivers down her spine, as though she had just had cold water poured down her back. He turned back to her. “She likes it, thanks Hermione.” And he hugged her. Unconsciously her arms rose to return the embrace, and slowly, she pulled herself together. When he pulled back she had finally gained enough of a handle on her emotions that she was able to smile thinly.

“Okay, so what did you come here for Hermione?” Harry was asking.

“Umm,” and the damn blush was back again. Would she ever be rid of it? Coming here seemed to just make her blush at everything. Damn her parents for teasing her about a boyfriend, damn Harry for not wanting to be her boyfriend, damn hormones for making her act all weird. Oh right, Harry, question, pay attention. “I wanted to ask about Sirius, when the adults weren’t there to listen in.”

Slowly, Harry nodded. He had expected this, Hermione wasn’t one to let things go. And she would want to know everything, but there were some things you just couldn’t talk about in front of just anyone. Knowing this was going to be a long discussion, he gently led her over to the bed and sat down, indicating for her to join him.

Somehow her blush deepened. It had been doing that a lot in the last day. He should probably look into what causes that, or maybe just ask. But it seemed rather personal, and if she wanted him to know, she’d tell him. She told him everything else, so if she wasn’t talking about this, it probably wasn’t important to her.

“Right, where to start.” He said when she sat next to him.

It wasn’t a question, or rather it wasn’t a question she was meant to answer, but Hermione did anyway. “From the beginning, what happened at your relatives, why did you leave? How did you meet Sirius, what made you decide to come to the island, how did you build the house.” She motioned for him to start talking.

Smirking, and holding in a chuckle he did as she asked. It took a while, but he laid out the whole story. From turning his aunt and uncle into pigs, to meeting the big black dog and crying all over it. To the dog turning into Sirius. Apparating all over the country, sleeping in a hay barn. Visiting family houses, and the Black Fortress. Coming to Refuge because the trace couldn’t find them here. Designing and building the house, and extras. The return of Hedwig, letters to her and Ron. Finding the newly named Snek, and learning about the Potter family secret, that they’ve been parselmouths for several generations. Sirius’ offer to tutor him, including music lessons, which she begged to join. And finally, the Marauders, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. She was jealous that he had already met their new defense teacher, and overjoyed that he was a friend of the family. She hugged him tearily when he explained about the betrayal of Pettigrew. And finally, grew incandescent when he explained about where Peter was now. He had to call for Dobby to get a calming draught before he let her go, she was threatening to swim back to the mainland to get the rat.

It still took several minutes of calming and cajoling to convince Hermione to leave it to Remus. That he had a plan for making sure the rat was caught. She was however pleased that she would at least get to witness the event, as it would be taking place during her visit to Diagon Alley.

With the sun now rising above the horizon, Harry carefully led her downstairs to the dining room, where Dobby was setting out mugs of cocoa for them. They drank slowly and discussed the concept of the mind palace, which Hermione was very interested in, and how it had helped Harry with his efforts towards the animagus transformation.

He carefully explained the process he had been going through each night and where he was getting stuck.

Hermione’s face scrunched up, as it often did when she was thinking very hard about something. Are you sure you’re doing it right?” She asked, then continued before Harry could respond. “I mean, it sounds like you are, though I haven’t read the book yet, so maybe there was something you understood one way, when it was meant to be understood in a different way. But based on what you and Sirius have said so far it sounds like you’re doing it right. Maybe you just aren’t connecting properly to the idea of the animal you’re trying to change into. Is it really about how well you understand the animal, or is it more about feeling right about being the animal?” She paused to consider her thoughts.

Harry was thinking about what she had said though. Could it be that easy? Could it just be that he was trying to make the change happen, when what he needed to do was more like, like letting the change happen?

Hermione continued her stream of thought, but Harry had tuned out, he went into his palace, to the little grove in the back. On the shelves were the hundreds of animals he had pictured himself becoming, along with the virtual essays he had written on each. Most of which were woefully incomplete. He should look into doing more research on them when he got the chance. Their current library didn’t actually have much on common animals, only the magical varieties. He would need to visit a muggle bookstore for those.

Selecting one of his favorites, a model of a big black puppy, a smaller version of Sirius’ form, he considered it. The lines of the muscles, the way they flowed under the skin. He saw himself shifting, growing the black fur all over, his jaws extending. He felt his magic begin to flow inside, trying to make the changes, but something wasn’t right. The same thing that hadn’t been right for a week now. Something, then he remembered what Hermione had said. It’s not about seeing the transformation, it’s about feeling it. He thought about how it would feel to make the change, how his own muscles would move differently, how his jaws would be longer, wider. How his claws might feel tapping on the ground, or the hardwood floors. How the fire might feel different with a covering of fur, rather than skin. He heard a gasp, and opened his eyes.

Everything was different, the color seemed to have washed out of the world. There was Hermione, seated where she had been. But she wasn’t talking anymore, she was staring at him, mouth hanging open. He reached to close it for her and stopped. His arm didn’t want to move that way. He looked down to see what was wrong, and he didn’t have an arm. Or rather, his arm had become a leg, a long, black furred leg, with large paws. He opened his mouth and felt a long tongue loll out. He’d done it, he’d become the dog. Laughing he jumped up from the chair and promptly fell over. The dog’s body moved differently, it would take some getting used to. And the laugh came out as a bark.

Hermione stood, and unsure of what else to do, yelled. “Mum, dad.” Then after a moment of hesitation, added. “Sirius.” In the corner of the dining room, unseen by Hermione, Dobby blinked at what he was seeing, then popped away to get Master Puppy, who would know how to help Master Harry Potter Sir, who was now a dog.

In moments, footsteps were pounding down the stairs as the adults came running to see what was causing the generally composed girl to yell in what sounded like panic.

Upon entering the dining room they were confronted with a strange tableau. Hermione was standing by the table staring at a large black dog, which was romping around in circles at her feet. As they watched, the dog fell to one side and rolled over, waving it’s paws in the air as though begging for a tummy rub. Which brought out the first real response they could see from Hermione. She giggled.

Sirius watched in stunned amazement as his godson, his own dear godson, charmed the girl with doggy antics. He smiled to himself, just as the girl began to kneel down and reach out a hand to stroke Harry’s fur.

“You know,” he called, earning two quick head jerks as both girl and dog turned to look at him, nearly identical looks of chagrin on their faces despite the difference in species, “pup is really gonna fit after this.”

The dog dropped its jaw in a doggy grin and wriggled around to back on its feet. Then shuffled over to sniff at Sirius legs before rising up to place both front paws on his knees.

Smiling down Sirius ruffled the fur on top of the dog’s head. “I’m too small to pick you up pup, even in this form. Maybe especially in this form.”

The dog’s head cocked to one side, as though it were thinking very hard about something. Then to everyone’s surprise it rippled, and suddenly in its place was a small, black furred house cat.

“Meow.” The cat spoke softly, then leapt upward towards Sirius’ chest. With a small umph, he caught the furry little thing. Stroking its ears he shook his head. “Wow pup, that’s incredible. Come on, let’s show off a bit.” He set the cat on the table and pulled out a chair. “Have a seat everyone. Dobby, could we get a round of coffee, and tea please?” While waiting for Dobby to return with the requested beverages he looked at the cat which was now stalking up and down the length of the table, and scratched his chin.

Emma beat him to his thoughts. “So, this is Harry? She asked Hermione, who nodded. “And he has now become, a cat? Which means he managed the transformation we were talking about last night?” Hermione nodded again, a little harder this time. “He said last night that he couldn’t do it yet. Which means this is his first time changing.” Hermione continued nodding, but Emma was turning to Sirius. “Is this dangerous?”

Sirius looked up from his own contemplations and blinked at the woman. “I don’t think so. There’s nothing in anything we’ve read to suggest that it could be. Hmm, just to be sure though, pup can you return to your normal form for us?”

There was shiver as Harry leapt off the table, becoming his usual tousle haired green eyed self as he landed, then promptly fell over, having judged the landing wrong. He popped up laughing. “I’ll have to work on that. Mcgonagall makes it look so easy.”

Sirius chuckled. “We’ll take him for a check up later to be sure, but I’d say he’s alright.” He said turning to Emma.

Brightening a bit, Emma grinned. “Well, that’s good then. So what changed? How did you figure it out?” She asked Harry who was taking the seat next to Hermione and accepting a cup of tea from Dobby.

“Hermione.” Was his first response, then he dragged out the moment by taking a sip of tea. “Ooh, good tea, thank you Dobby.” He said to the elf who was just turning back toward the kitchen.

In a rare show, Dobby turned back to face Harry fully and bowed. “You are most welcome Master Harry Potter Sir, Dobby is most pleased to be of service to the great Harry Potter.” Then promptly ran for the kitchen.

“Okay, not to change the subject, but what was that?” Daniel asked, pointing to where the elf had just disappeared.

Sirius shook with contained mirth. “That was Dobby pranking Harry. He does it every once in a while. Harry rescued Dobby from a bad situation, so Dobby looks up to him a great deal. It makes Harry a little uncomfortable when Dobby gets all,” he waved a finger in the direction of the kitchen for a moment, lost for words, “like that. So he doesn’t do it much, just when he knows it’ll be more laughed at than annoying.”

Emma snorted. “I had a maid like that when I was young. Did the same thing to my dad, just kept it to formal occasions. I always found it amusing, mum and I would laugh at dad’s reactions.”

“Thank you for the explanation Sirius.” Daniel said with a grin, then turned back to Harry. “Now, back to the animagus thing. How did you manage it Harry?”

And so, as they settled in for tea and coffee, Harry began to explain the breakthrough he had managed. He was halfway through when Dobby brought out breakfast, and the end of the explanation was interspersed with bites of bacon, eggs and toast.

After breakfast, Sirius recommended they all go outside and Harry could try a few more changes while he explained the process to the Grangers.

Thus they found themselves under a warm sun, resting on the beach, a new animal romping by every few minutes as Hermione, Dan and Emma attempted to meditate.

This went on for about an hour before Harry got bored and returned to human form and recommended swimming as a way of clearing the mind. Also, a good bit of fun. Hermione tried to talk him down, but Daniel Granger cut her off.

“That’s actually a good idea Hermione.” He said to his daughter. “Too much concentration can actually lead to over analyzing, which I suspect would be detrimental to this process. Do something else for a while, let the concept percolate in the back of your mind. Come back to it later from a fresh perspective, you may see something you missed. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to read the book yourself before trying again.”

At the excited look in Hermione’s eyes Emma stepped in. “Hermione.” When her daughter had looked over to her, a little sheepishly, she continued. “Go swim with Harry. Have some fun. You can read the book later.”

Nodding, the two youngest ran towards the house to change into swimwear, while the adults settled down to chat.

“Most interesting this idea of changing form.” Daniel said in an almost offhand manner.

Sirius smiled ruefully. “Yeah, it’s more complicated than it sounds at first. And while Harry and I started at the same time, he’s a lot better at it than I am. Of course, I’m having to unlearn the Roman method I already used to achieve my dog form. Every time I go to attempt the change it wants to follow the path I already know, and become the dog. I think Harry’s having an easier time of it, because he doesn’t have to overcome that hump. Hermione will likely be the same. If she follows the same pattern she’ll have this mastered by the time they return to Hogwarts.”

“So you intend for Harry to go back?” Emma asked.

Sirius smiled, a little sadly. “I want him to. I’ll miss him, but he deserves to have that experience, and to learn from proper teachers. I realise they aren’t the best that can be found, but it’s hard to get the best to actually teach. Usually they are the ones out doing things, like research or fieldwork. Still, they’re better than most of what I can give him. The best I can do for him is in Charms and Astronomy. And while I can fix where Snape goes wrong, he’s still a hundred times better at potions than I am, and can teach him so much more.”

“Speaking of the classes at Hogwarts. I noticed something when we were shelving books.” Emma said curiously. “I flipped through one of the texts on arithmancy, I was curious. And it all looked like basic maths to me. Do you know what the difference is?”

Sirius shot her a sly look. “Between muggle maths and arithmancy?” She nodded and he winked. “There isn’t one. Or rather, the difference is very subtle. As Lilly explained to me once, you use a calculator where we use our wands. The only real magic involved is in the calculations. But in order to make it work, you have to know how to calculate the desired result. Also, she said that arithmancy doesn’t go as far. Something about we stopped at algebra, but the muggles kept going.”

Daniel shot the man a consternated look. “Wait, algebra. I learned that, practically in preschool. By the time I got to Uni I was already doing calculus.”

Emma nodded. “There’s a bit of difference, but it’s primarily in the formulas used in different types of maths. If arithmancy stops at algebra, I could tutor the kids and get them ready for the class. Maybe even beyond what the class will cover.”

“Hermione was hinting that she might want to stay out here for a while, if you don’t mind. We could arrange to come back over the weekends.” Daniel said, eyeing Sirius.

“Which would also give us the chance to discuss some of the things Hermione has been leaving out.” Sirius nodded knowingly. “At least those that I know of. I doubt they share everything with me either.”

“That would give me the time to teach them some maths. I could go over that for an hour or two on Saturdays.” Emma offered.

“Speaking of, I was going to ask something of the same concerning runes.” Daniel looked a question at Sirius.

“Runes,” he took a deep breath, “we use them for a lot of things. Anchoring long term spells, most notably protective magics woven around a home. Some of our oldest written works are recorded in runes. The study of them used to be a required course at Hogwarts, but that was during my great grandfathers time. Now it's an elective. Very important for a few jobs, but most people avoid those.” He smiled at Daniel. “Did that answer your question, or did I miss the mark?”

Daniel cocked an eyebrow. “Kind of missed it. I was wondering about the difference between magical runes and non-magical runes.”

“Oh, sorry.” Sirius shook his head. “Guess I got caught up there. The difference is us.” He pointed between himself and Daniel. “Who writes or carves them. It isn’t the runes themselves that are magical, but rather the person inscribing them.”

“So, the class itself, that would just be, learning the runes, syntax, dialect, all that?”

“Yeah, until NEWT level. After finishing the OWL’s the class begins to look at the specific magical uses language has been put to. And how to charge a rune layout in order to create long lasting effects.”

“Well then, I can give them an hour or two on runes each weekend if you want. I did a minor in Uni on mythology. Learning the futharc and futhorc runes was part of that. I also studied the ogham and a little bit of Sumerian and Egyptian hieroglyphics.”

“Wow, I don’t think I can recall all that much really. Once you understand how it works, you can use any writing style or alphabet you want. Most of magical society, at least here in the U.K., is obsessed with tradition. So they stick to runes. Yeah, if you’d be willing to do that, I’d approve. I haven’t really talked to Harry much about what he wants to do. Kind of been leaving that alone until we have a better idea of what to expect. But even if he doesn’t go back, the knowledge would be helpful, so I’ll encourage him to join those lessons. I must say, you two are pretty impressive. Most parents of muggleborn I’ve met have been rather unaccepting of the magical world. But you two are just, slipping in and, well frankly, really cool. I think you’re the kind of people I could be friends with.” He took a sip of tea to hide his grin at the slightly shocked looks on the Grangers faces.

After a moment, Emma returned a pleased smile. “Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. However, speaking for myself, I think you are rather an interesting person yourself, and I would very much enjoy getting to know you better.”

Just then there was a long yell of purest joy from the deck as two young people ran across the beach, throwing themselves into the surf.

“Actually.” Daniel caught his wife's eye and winked. “I was wondering if I might talk you into running me to town. I’d like to treat you and Harry to my personal culinary masterpiece. And you actually have a grill here.” He pointed to the long grill on the side of the deck. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

Sirius gave the man a considering look. “Well, I don’t mind at all. However, we promised Dobby that he could be in control of the kitchen, so really, he’s the one you gotta ask if you want to cook anything here.”

“Fair enough, where do I find him?”

“Right here sir.” everyone jumped as Dobby appeared out of thin air.

“Holy.” Daniel nearly fell out of his chair, he jumped so high.

“Oh, terribly sorry sir, Dobby didn’t mean to startle you sir.”

“It’s alright Dobby. I’m just not used to that. I was wondering if you mind if I cook dinner tonight. I have a specialty that I make, which I wish to share with our hosts.”

Dobby went a bit green, which seemed to be the house elf version of a blush. He looked from one person to another, apparently unable to decide on a response.

Daniel climbed to his feet and laid a hand across Dobby’s shoulders. “Tell you what Dobby. How about I explain to you what I plan to make, and then you can decide. How does that sound?”

Nodding slowly, Dobby allowed himself to be led back inside the house, away from listening ears.

Emma turned to Sirius. “Are you comfortable leaving me here alone with the children?”

Sirius nodded slowly. “I don’t think you pose any threat. And if something happens, Harry knows what to do.”

After a few minutes, Dobby and Daniel returned with Dobby nodding excitedly. “Dobby gives permission sir.” He said to Sirius and popped away.

“Oh yeah, and Dobby’s here. He can handle most things, so make sure to call him if you have any trouble.” And Sirius stood to lead Daniel towards the Shark’s Kiss.

Despite Hermione’s attempts to drag Harry to the library, the two youngsters and their erstwhile guardian spent the day exploring the island. They wandered through the small forest. Harry showed off the workshop and talked a little about the potions he and Sirius had made together. Then he gave both ladies a ride on Little Wonder, his own motorbike. Though it was only just big enough for a passenger.

When the adult males returned they found three cheerful giggling people, just settling onto the sofa to relax and enjoy a film.

Dobby popped out and told Daniel that it would take ten minutes to get everything prepped for him to begin cooking and that he should let Dobby know when he was ready. After that, the two men joined the others in the sitting room, where Monty Pythons the Search for the Holy Grail was about to begin.

Before the film got started properly, Sirius offered to move the tele out onto the deck if Daniel wanted to get to cooking right away, or whenever he decided to do so. After a moment’s thought, Daniel decided to wait a half hour before beginning the meal, and thanked Sirius for the offer.

A half hour later they all moved out on the deck and enjoyed shifting between watching the film and watching Daniel at the grill.

At the halfway point of the film, when the armies were cheering for the consumption of brave Sir Robin’s minstrels, Daniel served up a hearty meal of seared steak and potatoes, to everyone’s cheers. It was nearly simultaneous with the film.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My personal favorite chapter in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed working on the interactions here, and building the relationships.


	26. Chapter 26

Monday 29 July

The Grangers unfortunately, to Harry’s thinking were not able to stay much longer. They would have to leave after lunch. They did at least, promise to return for Harry’s birthday, which would mark his first ever birthday party. Even if it was just the six people coming. Harry and Sirius, the three Grangers, and Remus. Small it might be, but to Harry it was perfect. The only thing that could have made it better would be if the Weasleys could come as well. However it was not yet safe to have them here. Between the presence of Peter Pettigrew among them, and the fact that they couldn’t be sure that Arthur wouldn’t turn Sirius over to the Ministry, or Harry over to Dumbledore, they just couldn’t afford the risk.

So they made the most of what time they had left. Sirius, along with Dan and Emma, chose to relax in the sun and continue their conversation on various academic topics. Harry and Hermione chose to retire to the library. Hermione wanted to finish reading the Celtic Animagus book, while Harry decided to start looking into the classes offered at Hogwarts and rethink his elective choices. Based on what Sirius had told him about the Marauders plan for getting the most out of their time at Hogwarts, he was devising a plan to get Hermione and Ron to split the classes so they could effectively take all of them, without actually having to sit through each class. Ron clearly wanted to take divination and Care of Magical Creatures. Which was good, though Harry thought it would be good for his first friend to also take muggle studies. Hermione was interested in everything, and no matter how he tried he couldn’t talk her into dropping anything. So he focused on what was left, which wasn’t at all much. Runes and Arithmancy. After some consideration he decided to drop divination and just read over Ron’s notes and textbooks, and instead take the other two, along with Care. He liked animals, and it would be a fun way to learn about some more things for him to turn into, should the need ever arise.

As they worked, Hermione interrupted him with questions about his experience, which he happily answered. Harry wrote a letter to Ron, and another to Mcgonagall about his classes. Even if he ended up not going back to Hogwarts, he wanted to have that arranged just in case. And they peppered in random bits of conversation as they worked quietly together. Even Snek got in on the excitement, slithering along the table, cadging rubs from either human, and sometimes nudging a book into their line of sight. Which often resulted in a change of topic just as the first was losing their interest, or finding an answer to a question they had been pondering. Which made Hermione comment as they were packing up for lunch, and the Granger farewell, that Snek could have some magical qualities to her, as it was highly unlikely for her to be lucky, so many times in a row.

After lunch they returned the Grangers to the mainland, where Harry and Hermione shared a slightly teary goodbye. The adults watching on with fond bemusement, they would only be separated for a few days, after which they had agreed that Hermione could stay for the rest of the summer, with the adult Grangers coming to visit every weekend.

At last they were gone, and Harry and Sirius headed back to Refuge, where Harry spent an hour in the library, trying to make himself interested in reading. Then Sirius saved him from his melancholy with an offer of a ride on the motorbike.

When they climbed on the bike, Sirius told Harry to hang on tight. Then he activated the notice me not and invisibility charms he had layered into the bike, and rocketed into the sky. It was exhilarating, Harry was reminded that nothing took his mind off things better than flying. The wind whipping his face, pulling his hair back. The feel of the speed. The only thing that could make it better would be if he were in control, rather than holding on. But even that was enough to lift his mood. They flew all the way to the continent, and took to the back roads. Tearing around the countryside as fast as the bike, and Sirius’ control of it could handle.

They stopped for dinner at a small restaurant in Germany, where Sirius learned that Harry only spoke english. To which he commented that he would have to fix that.

After dinner, Sirius changed their hair and eye colors, and covered Harry’s scar with a glamour before driving them to the main German magical shopping district, in Berlin.

It was an alley, almost identical to Diagon, except that the shops had German signs. After a bit of wandering, Sirius got a huge grin and pulled Harry into a wand shop.

The proprietor, Gregoravitch, reminded Harry of Ollivander. He had the same wispy silver hair, though where Ollivander’s eyes were silver, Gregoravitch’s were black. He approached them cautiously.

“Good afternoon. How may I help you today?” The man asked from behind the counter, not deigning to step out as Ollivander had.

Sirius stepped up to the counter and laid both hands upon it, motioning for Harry to do the same. Sirius said something to the man in German before switching to english. “My son will also need a spare.”

Harry felt a twinge in his chest. It had been a while since anyone had called Sirius his dad, but to hear Sirius himself say it was different. He hadn’t been prepared for that. He felt a lump rising in his throat and fought to maintain control of himself, lest he give them away. So he simply nodded when Gregoravitch turned his attention to Harry.

“Hmm,” the man growled, “very well, wait here.” And he turned and hobbled through a small door. A minute later he returned carrying two display cases. He laid them on the counter, and Harry could see that one held a dozen or so different pieces of wood. While they other held an assortment of things, most of which he was unable to identify. “You first.” He pointed to Sirius who nodded.

The box with the bits of wood was opened, and Sirius ran his hand over them for several seconds before he stopped and pointed to one which looked to be a rather dark wood.

“Hmm, beechwood. From the Black forest. You are lucky, I have that in stock. Now for the core.” He moved to the second box, and again, Sirius ran his hands over the bits inside until he pointed to an old shrivelled looking little ball. “Dragon Heartstring. Hmm, I am running low on that. Let us determine if species will matter. That will adjust the price, and possibly the time. A moment.” Again the man turned and left through the small door. It took less than a minute this time though for him to return. Once again carrying a small display case. This he laid on the counter next to the first two and indicated for Sirius to try the ten different shrivelled balls inside. After a few seconds of running his hand across them he stopped and pointed to one in particular. “Hungarian Horntail. Again you are in luck. I just got a shipment yesterday. I will be able to complete your wand in just a few hours.” He looked out the window. “It is late, I would recommend that you return tomorrow for its retrieval, and final melding.”

Sirius nodded and both men turned to Harry. “You’re turn boy, go ahead.” The old man stated.

“Umm, what do I do?” Harry asked.

Sirius pointed to the box of woods. “Run your hand over them, until you feel a spark. You feel carefully, it could come in several different ways. Some people get a jolt like static electricity. Or a warm feeling, like when you get a sweater fresh from the laundry. So take your time and watch for anything that feels different.”

Nodding, Harry turned to the case and held his hand up above the wood. Slowly he brought it down until it was just barely above the bits and began to move it around the case. After a few seconds he felt something, like a humming in the back of his head. It took a minute to figure out which of the woods it was coming from, as he had to move around several times to be sure of which it was.

When he pointed it out, the old man smiled. “Silver Fir, also from the Black Forest. A bit rare that one. I shall have to check my stores. I believe I still have enough, but I have not checked my owl orders for today. It is possible I will need to restock. Core.” He nodded to the second case.

Being a little more certain of himself this time, Harry stepped over and brought his hand down to the same position he had with the woods. And felt a shock hit him. “Ow.” He jerked his hand back.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.” The old man chuckled. “A strong reaction, this will be interesting to see. Please, try again, perhaps a little slower this time.”

Harry returned his hand to hover a few inches above the prospective cores and brought it down slowly until he began to feel a tingle. Then he moved his hand back and forth several times trying to identify where the tingle was coming from. “I think it’s,” he started to say, pointing towards a lump of some unrecognisable substance. As he did so, a spark leapt from what looked like a strip of hair.

Gregoravitch leaned back slightly and gazed at Harry. “The hair of an Aufhocker. Extremely rare. It can only be acquired with the Huckup’s consent. While I do have a small supply. If you are willing to take up the challenge, so to speak, I would recommend finding one for yourself, and convincing the creature to give up a hair for you. It is a very expensive core material, however, if you can get a Huckup to give you a hair, then there is obviously no fee. Other than for the construction, of course.”

“Umm,” Harry began, turning to Sirius.

Sirius snorted. “We’ll see what we can do. And we’ll let you know what we decide tomorrow when I come back for mine. Just out of curiosity, do you know where we can find an Aufhocker?”

“I’ve only ever met the one. And I met him, in a bar, at a crossroads, in the middle of nowhere. Early in my travels, long before I opened my shop. You will need to find someone more educated in creature lore, than I am.”

“Thank you for your time Gregoravitch.” Sirius said quietly, handing over a handful of coins. “We will see you again tomorrow.”

Their next stop was a dingy little place which sold what they called lingual spheres. Which apparently were used to help train someone in a language, by speaking to them. Sirius bought three, one for German, French, and Italian.

“Not perfect, but the best we can get for now. I’ll teach you the language, but you have to practice, which means spend a little time each day talking to the sphere. I know it sounds silly, but it’s how I learned.” Sirius explained as they packed away their purchases and mounted the bike for the trip back to Refuge.


	27. Chapter 27

Tuesday 30 July

After breakfast, Sirius led Harry to the library where he set up the three spheres on the long table. Each was labelled with its language making them easier to identify. As each was a simple copper sphere it would have been guess work otherwise, at least until he got used to their positions.

A book on German was pulled from a shelf, and Harry’s first lesson in the language began. They practiced pronunciation, and a few words until lunch. When they set the books aside Harry could greet someone, or ask for the lou, but little else. Still he felt accomplished, as Sirius had complimented his progress, thus he was smiling as they ate and planned their return trip to Gregoravitch’s shop.

Before they left, Harry sent Hedwig off with the letters he had written, adding one more, to Remus, asking about the Aufhocker or Huckup. There had been nothing he could find in the books they had. So they intended to visit a few libraries before visiting Gregorovitch.

The first library they visited had nothing they could find, nor did the second. They were about to give up on the third when they managed to find a small bit. A single paragraph describing a creature which would leap onto the backs of their victims and tear out said victims throats. The creature was described as a shapeshifter, which would attack those who subverted the truth for their own ends. With that in mind they were able to find another entry, giving other names for the creature, from other languages, which gave them more to go on. Eventually they were able to find enough to piece together an idea of what the creature was, and where they might find one. Apparently they enjoyed hanging out around churchyards, watching for those churchgoers who only paid lip service in order to appear good to their neighbors.

As shapeshifters, the Aufhocker could appear as anything, and based on the descriptions, which came mostly from muggle books and were thus most likely slightly inaccurate due to the purge of magical information which had swept the continent after the installation of the statute of secrecy, they postulated that the creature fed off certain emotions. Much like the boggart. Only instead of fear, they probably fed off pride or something else like that.

Checking the time, they agreed to have a quick lunch then begin their search. Which they would leave around five to meet Gregoravitch regardless, as Sirius really wanted to get his new wand today.

They selected the church nearest the magical shopping district in Berlin as their first hunting spot. They took seats across the street and pulled out bags of popcorn, which they proceeded to feed to the pigeons as a means of covering their real intentions. And waited. Sirius had placed a detection charm around them, which would alert them to the presence of any magical creature that came near, so all they had to do was wait till the charm went off.

They sat there, chatting amiably, and waiting, for almost three hours before the charm went off. Looking around they saw nothing out of the ordinary, so they shrugged and went back to feeding the pigeons and chatting.

Then a small boy ran up to them and cocked his head. “You’re different.” The boy said to Harry.

Harry looked up confusedly at the boy. “Umm, how so?” He asked, voice going a little squeaky. It wasn’t quite like being called a freak, but it was very close.

“You’re a wizard. So is he.” The boy said, causing Harry to relax slightly.

Harry smiled, he tried to make it warm, but wasn’t sure if he succeeded. “Yes we are. Are you a wizard too?”

The boy cocked his head to the other side, as though he were trying to get a better view of Harry. “Why are you here?”

Harry opened his mouth, ready to give the response he and Sirius had worked out. That they were feeding the pigeons, and people watching. But he felt a pressure on his arm, he looked down to see Sirius hand.

Sirius was peering at the boy. “We’re looking for someone. Unfortunately, we don’t know what this person looks like, because they can look like anything they want to. I don’t suppose you know anyone like that?”

The boy grinned cheekily. “I might. What’s it worth to you?”

And Harry realised something. The boy was speaking perfectly intelligible english. Except he couldn’t be more than 8 or 9 years old. Young enough that even his native language should have been a bit jumbled.

Glancing around to be sure no one was watching them, he leaned in close to whisper. “We’re looking for a magical being. We think one of them might hang out around here, because the books we’ve read said they like to hunt around churchyards. The book said they were called Aufhocker.”

The boy stepped back. “And why would you be looking for one of them?” He asked somewhat imperiously.

Harry glanced at Sirius, who nodded for him to continue. Turning back to the boy, Harry smiled, and this time he was sure it was a warm, friendly smile. “I wanted to ask him for a hair, for my wand core. If what we’ve read about them is right, I can understand why I would connect so well.”

“You think you would connect with the Huckup?” The boy asked, eyeing Harry warily. “Why?”

Harry glanced around again, aware that they were getting into topics which they did not want overheard, especially by passing muggles. Although, as they were speaking english, there was at least a possibility that they would not be overheard by anyone who could actually understand what was being said. English might be a common language on the continent, but that didn’t mean everyone spoke it.

“The book we found said that they are shapeshifters, who target liers with pranks. Especially liars who bend the truth to get their way. Hence why they hang out at churchyards, looking for those who only pay lip service in order to win favor from their neighbors.” He paused, allowing his words to sink in, and to buy himself time to carefully consider what he wanted to say next. “I recently became a shapeshifter myself, through training, a different kind of animagus, if you know what that is.” The boy nodded slowly, and Harry smiled. “And I am currently working to free myself, and my godfather, from the machinations of a powerful man who has twisted the truth around in order to control my life. We haven’t figured out why yet, but we won’t stop until we do. So it makes sense to me that I would connect on a magical level to a being who does the same thing, if for different reasons.”

The boy squinted at him, and for a moment Harry was sure the boy's eyes changed color. “And what would you trade for such a thing? For a hair?”

Harry opened his mouth, but found he didn’t have an answer. He thought for a moment. “Well, umm, I’m not sure what would be considered a fair trade.” He looked to Sirius, who looked thoughtful but offered no answer. Turning back to the boy he asked. “What do you think would be fair?”

The boy sat down on the sidewalk and peered at Harry. When he spoke, his voice had changed. It was no longer the voice of a child. Instead it had grown deeper, ponderous, as though a powerful man spoke from inside a long cave. The words seemed to wrap themselves around Harry as the boy spoke. “You are familiar with the boggart? Which feeds on fear. Or the dementor? Which feeds on joy. We are akin, in a way. We feed on unearned pride. Though unlike many of our kin, we do not seek to evoke such feelings. Rather we seek those who find them naturally. Grant me leave to ride with you, show me to the one you hunt. I shall grant you a hair, but you must in return promise to lead me to a strong meal, within one year. If you fail, we shall have words you will not like.”

Harry’s jaw dropped open. He turned to Sirius for advice.

Sirius looked at his godson for a long moment. “It would mean that you would have to return to Hogwarts. You aren’t likely to run into the old goat anywhere else.” He said softly.

“But we still aren’t sure if I can go back.”

Sirius shrugged. “To be accurate, we aren’t sure if you’ll be able to go back, and not be hounded for my whereabouts. Returning is an option regardless. If you accept this deal, you will have to be close enough to Albus for our new friend here to reach him. There are only two places I know of where you can reasonably hope to get that close, or really, even to see him at all. Those are Hogwarts castle, and the Wizengamot chambers.”

Harry blanched. “Yeah, you’re right. Hogwarts. I doubt I could get into the Wizengamot chambers at all, except maybe for a trial.”

The boy seemed to be a bit impatient. “Well, have you decided then?”

Harry considered his options for a moment, then looked up with a thoughtful expression. “Could we make the deal the other way? I get the hair, after I lead you to a good meal?”

“While that would make our words less troublesome for you if you should fail, it would leave you bereft of a wand for that time. Is that a circumstance you find acceptable?”

Harry smiled. “Well, it’s really a back-up wand, in case something happens to my first one. So if I need to wait for it, I can.”

The boy chuckled, the sound was odd, it wasn’t like a human laugh at all, but rather it carried simultaneous images of bells, wind through the leaves of a forest, and the howl of a mountain storm. The sound sent ice down Harry’s spine, and from the way he shivered, Sirius felt it too.

“Tis wisdom true to cover one’s backside.” the boy said as the chuckle subsided. His smile grew wide and toothy. He reached up and plucked a hair from his head. Holding it out to Harry he smirked. “For your wit. I shall not ride with you. But I will follow. I have a feeling you will lead me to good hunting.” with a flick of his wrist, he sent the hair floating on a small breeze towards Harry’s open hand. As he did so, his form shimmered, and where he had been a squirrel raced off to a nearby tree.

Clutching the hair, Harry turned to Sirius. “Did that really just happen?”

“Ha, ha, ha.” Sirius chortled. “Yes it did Harry, yes it did. Come on, we’ve got an appointment to keep. Hopefully he won’t be too bored following us around.”

“Or too hungry.” Harry added as they stood and began making their way to the alley.

Gregoravitch was just as odd as he had been the day before, but he had Sirius’ new wand ready. And was both pleased and surprised when Harry handed over the hair for his own new wand. After inspecting it he declared it a good match, and that he would have the wand ready the following day. Sirius paid a little extra to have it delivered, explaining that they were hosting a party, though not what the party was for.


	28. Chapter 28

Wednesday 31 July

Over breakfast, Sirius asked Dobby to return Doria’s wand to the Potter vault, and then leaned over to whisper something in his ear. After which Dobby smiled broadly and popped away.

“What was that about?” Harry asked.

“A surprise for later.” Sirius answered. “Eat, we have to go pick up the Grangers soon.” He eyed Harry, who started eating as fast as he could without making himself sick.

The Grangers arrived at the dock just as they were tying up the Shark’s Kiss, and joined them for a trip to Mingstrom’s. Sirius wanted to check on the progress of their order. Then they were headed back out to Refuge.

Hermione practically bounced the whole way there, never once letting go of Harry’s hand, which she had grabbed as soon as they were on the boat. She kept up a stream of chatter about her meditations, and the structure she had settled on for her mind palace, and her new desire to learn legilimency just so she could visit Harry’s mind palace. Then she recommended Harry learn it too, so he could visit hers, and asked if they should tell Ron about it, would he be interested. Did Harry think he would be willing to do the work needed to build himself one? And so on.

The adults were rather relieved when they arrived at the island and could get away from the constant stream of chatter that was Hermione Granger. Harry, partly in consideration of the adults, dragged Hermione to the library and showed her the language spheres. Which brought out a new direction of inquiry from the witch, as she began talking to the French sphere in rapid fire, before declaring it to be sufficient, and asking about where it came from and what charms were used to create it. Which Harry responded to with an explanation of where they purchased it, but that he didn’t know how it was made.

He then managed to distract her with a discussion of the wand maker Gregoravitch, and the things they had learned about creatures from around the world in their search for an Aufhocker.

Hermione was opening her mouth to ask something about the creatures when they were interrupted by the sound of someone apparating onto the island.

“Mooney!” Harry cried leaping to his feet. “Come on Hermione.” He grabbed her hand and hauled her out to the deck where the sandy haired werewolf was greeting Sirius.

There was a surprise though, in the form of a second man, standing at the base of the stairs looking up at them. And Harry had never even imagined a man like this before. The man was on the short side, broad and muscular. With short dark hair, liberally sprinkled with silver. But the most glaring thing about him, which caused the man to stand out. Was the large fake eye, colored an electric blue which was whizzing around in the socket, rarely stopping on anything for longer than a heartbeat. Alongside that were a collection of scars, including half the man’s nose simply missing. As he began to climb the stairs, Harry finally noticed that his left leg was also gone, replaced with a wooden prosthetic with a clawed foot, which thumped menacingly as he walked.

Sirius met him at the top of the stairs. “Moody.”

“Black.” Came the man’s reply, holding out a hand.

Sirius regarded the hand warily. “You here to arrest me Moody?” He asked.

“Hah.” Moody grunted. “Nah, Remus told me everything. Even after I dosed him. I’m here to wish the lad a happy birthday. And to chat about catching the rat. Little bastard deserves what he’s gonna get.”

Slowly, a feral grin spread across Sirius’ face. He reached out and grasped Moody’s still outstretched hand. “Glad to see you Alastor.”

“Good to see you son. I hear you’ve been taking good care of the boy. But I want to see him anyway. Just to be sure.”

Sirius threw his head back and laughed. “Of course you do. You wouldn’t be you otherwise. Harry, come here. I want to introduce you to an old colleague of mine.”

Harry went to join the two men, still dragging Hermione along with him. “Hello.” He greeted the man when he reached them.

“Hello lad.” Moody said, looking him over. “Well, you look healthy enough. And who is this?” He turned slightly, indicating Hermione.

“Oh, this is my best friend Hermione.”

“Hermione Granger.” She offered her hand. “Pleased to meet you sir.”

“Hah.” Moody barked out a laugh. “Better manners than either of you two ruffians.” he said, accepting the hand and kissing her knuckles gently. “A pleasure lass. Keep an eye on this one.” He indicated Harry. “If he’s anything like his father, he’ll be a handful.”

Hermione covered a small laugh with her hand. “I will sir, thank you for the warning.” Which earned her a glare from Harry.

Remus chuckled, prompting Harry to look at him properly. He looked much better than he had when he left a few days ago. And he was now smiling warmly, and had a twinkle of merriment in his eye. Noticing Harry’s look of slight indignation he grinned. “Happy Birthday Harry.” He held out a wrapped package. “Not sure where you’re placing gifts, or if you’re just opening them as they are received, so here you go.”

Harry looked to Sirius for instruction. “Side table in the sitting room pup. We’ll open gifts later.”

Nodding Harry went to set the present with any others. Which gave the adults a chance to say hello. And himself a chance to adjust to the idea of another person knowing where they were.

The party went just as one might expect. Sirius brought out board games for everyone to play. Dobby presented a large cake decorated with a quidditch pitch, it even had moving players made of icing. And everyone had a great laugh when Hermione got the piece with the snitch.

Sirius leaned over and bumped Harry, saying “watch out pup, she’ll be showing you how to play next.” Which produced a great roar of laughter from the adults, and a confused look from Harry, while Hermone simply hid her face, which was glowing a bright red.

When they got around to opening presents, Harry wasn’t expecting much. So he was very surprised when he realised there was at least one from each person who attended. Plus one from Ron, and another from the Weasley family, and another from the twins. Plus one from Gregoravitch, which he already knew would be his new wand.

Moody had gotten him an Auror style wand holster, designed to hang at his hip for an easy draw, and with slots for up to three wands. “Just in case.” The man said when Harry looked a question at him. “Never know when you’re gonna need a back-up.”

Remus had brought a collection of books on various animals, which prompted a short demonstration of Harry turning into several animals. That in turn led to Moody needing to be brought a calming draught, then an explanation of how Harry had achieved such a feat.

Ron sent a package of sugar quills, and three chocolate frog cards that he thought Harry didn’t have yet.

Mrs. Weasley, the mastermind behind the package from the family, sent several mince pies, three pairs of socks, and an invitation to spend the rest of the summer with them.

The twins sent a collection of prank products, with a note to have fun. Which included a brief explanation of what they knew about the darkness powder, and encouragement to experiment.

Mr. Granger gave him a set of books on runes, pictographs, and hieroglyphics, which included a set of exercises meant to help learn the symbols and their meanings. He explained about the discussion he’d had with Sirius about tutoring Harry and Hermione for the rest of the summer on the subject. Which got a squeal from Hermione and a warm thank you from Harry.

Mrs. Granger's gift of a set of maths books got the same reaction when she explained their meaning and purpose.

Hermione’s gift of a large leather bound journal, and a new set of quills and inks, got a confused look for a moment. Until she explained that she had noticed that both Sirius and Harry’s dad had kept journals and she thought he might like to do the same. Realising she was right, he tackled his best friend in a hug, and had to take a few minutes to calm himself before he could reach for the last two gifts on the table, both from Sirius.

The first was a long thin package, and Harry was fairly sure of what it was. Sure enough, when he tore the wrapping off one end, he revealed the sleek handle of a new broom. But as he uncovered more of the shiny, highly polished wood, his heart rate went up and up. Until at last he uncovered the bright bronze footrests, and the embossed golden inlay at the base, which read, Firebolt.

Unable to speak he simply threw himself at his godfather, saying thank you, thank you, thank you, over and over until he ran out of breath.

When he finally calmed again, Sirius and Remus were chuckling, and the other adults were stifling giggles of their own. Pulling Harry onto his lap, Sirius summoned the last package and offered it to Harry. “One more pup.” He said.

Nodding, Harry accepted the package and tore the paper off. Inside he found a small hand mirror, in a leather case. Curious he looked to his godfather for an explanation.

Sirius was a little choked up as he began to speak. “This, Harry, is a two way mirror. Your dad and I used to use them to chat when we were in separate detentions. They work across any distance, and will cut through most wards. Just say my name while looking into it and mine will let me know you’re calling. This one, was your dad’s. With this, we’ll be able to talk whenever you want, no matter how far apart we might be. So if you decide to return to Hogwarts, I’ll still only be a word away if you ever need to talk about anything.”

Very carefully, Harry set the mirror on the table as though it were a priceless relic. Then he turned and wrapped his godfather in a hug tight enough to shrink an elephant. When the first soft sob was heard from one of the two, the remaining people stood and left the room without a word.

When bedtime approached, Remus and Moody left. Sirius tried to convince them to stay, but Moody wasn’t comfortable sleeping anywhere but his own bed. And Remus had to return to Hogwarts, where he could continue to point Dumbledore in the wrong direction.

Imong all the goodbyes, no one saw a flea leap onto Mooney’s robe, following him away to the school.


	29. Chapter 29

Saturday 3 August

The next few days went by in a grind of anxiety and routine. Harry was barely able to concentrate on anything, as he kept worrying about the plan to catch Peter on Saturday. A plan which he and Sirius had no part in, as they could not set foot in Diagon Alley without being almost immediately caught.

Finally the day came, Hermione was taken to the mainland to meet her parents for the trip to Diagon. After which Harry and Sirius were forced to wait. They tried to distract themselves with games, then a movie, and even a ride on the motorbikes. But nothing worked. When at last the Grangers arrived via side along apparition with Remus and Moody, the two men were nearly gone with nerves.

The three Grangers and two men entered the sitting room with looks of apprehension. Which did nothing to soothe either Harry or Sirius’ nerves. Hermione was sat between her parents, both of whom put arms around her shoulders. While Remus and Moody took seats at each end of the sofa. They directed Harry and Sirius to take seats facing them.

When everyone was seated, Remus asked Dobby to bring tea.

With Tea served, Sirius lost his hold on his voice. “Well!? What happened?” He blurted, almost spilling his tea.

Remus took a long sip, shooting a speaking look at Sirius. “Things did not go as planned.” He said slowly, then held up a hand. “I will tell you the whole story Sirius. But you have to calm down and listen.” He gave the man another look, and Sirius sat back, a bit huffily.

“Good.” Came a grunt from Moody. “So, to begin with.” He motioned to the Grangers. “These fine folk showed up, right on time.” He shot them an approving look. “Went to the bank then waited almost fifteen minutes for the Weasley’s to show.

Remus took over. “They were late, as usual I gather.” Harry nodded. “Still, they showed. They too, went into the bank.”

“Where they stayed for an inordinately long time.” Moody interjected.

“Yes, they did take longer than most. However, when we had been in earlier I noticed their eldest, Bill was onsite for something. So it’s likely they stopped to say hello.”

Harry noticed that Hermione was looking worried, but she remained silent, and Remus continued speaking, so he was unable to ask her what was wrong.

“When they exited, they met with the Grangers. Together, the two families went about their shopping. New robes, ingredients for potions, and of course, books.”

“The lass there.” Moody indicated Hermione. “Nearly screwed us in the book store. She was so interested in the shelves that she almost forgot her role in the plan.”

Remus sent the man a chastening look. “She remembered though. She mentioned wanting to get a pet, which prompted Ronald to mention his rat. Apparently the poor fellow has been feeling rather sickly. So the two trotted off to the Magical Menagerie.”

“Where I was waiting under my invisibility cloak.” Moody took over. “Wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t known already. This eye is enchanted, I can see if an animal is an animagus. And that rat lit up like a christmas tree. From there, I just had to wait for a good moment.”

While Hermione was looking for a suitable owl, Ron approached the shopkeeper about his rat.” Remus said, giving Hermione a look that said, stay quiet.

Harry tried to cut in and ask something, but he was prevented by Moody continuing his oration. “Unable to decide on an owl by herself, the girl went to the counter. I suppose to ask about flight times, or stamina, or some other such. When she got there this huge, orange ball of fluff, leapt off a shelf right onto the rat.”

“For a moment, I thought the cat had actually killed him.” Remus said mildly. But then, Peter jumped off the counter and ran out the door. Right by where I was standing. I was so surprised I didn’t have time to react.”

“And lost us our quarry too.” Moody bellowed, causing everyone to flinch.

Remus smiled self-deprecatingly. “Indeed, not my best moment. Fortunately, Ron it seems, has a sort of instinct for where the rat could be hiding, and found him in only a few minutes. Under a dustbin. I expect he didn’t want to go farther out of fear of who he might run into.”

“While they were chasing after the rat, I was berating Lupin, under a privacy spell of course. Had my eye on the boy the whole time. Knew he had the bastard cornered so I took a moment to let out a bit of frustration.”

“I was deeply mortified.” Remus offered.

By this time, Sirius was having trouble holding on to his tea. His hands were shaking, fingers curling as though he could feel the squirming rat and wanted nothing more than to squeeze it until it stopped. Harry was only a little better.

“Once they had the rat in hand. They returned to the shop, where the girl,” Moody indicated Hermione again, bought the cat, and then did the smartest thing I’d seen her do all day. She recommended the boy get a cage for the rat so it couldn’t run away again.”

“She convinced him by pointing out that it would also prevent any cats from getting to the rat.” Added Remus. “Ingenious Hermione.” He tilted his cup to her in a salute.

“Yes, well. The boy helped us all out, by doing as the girl suggested. Then the two of them went to Fortesque’s for ice cream.”

“As arranged, I happened by as they were talking. And after a few minutes of conversation I noticed the rat. After a few questions, I recognised my dear friend Peter.”

“Lupin performed the reversal charm, returning the little bastard to human form. Revealing him to everyone on the street. Unfortunately, the boy did something incredibly stupid.”

“Ron did what is colloquially known as a spit take. He spewed ice cream all over me. Including my face. For a half a minute I was effectively blind. During which Peter returned to rat form and ran.”

Sirius face fell, Harry was only a step behind him, shoulders slumping as he sagged in his seat.

“Good thing I was nearby, and still under my cloak. I managed to follow him through the crowd to where he hid, under another dustbin. I stunned the bastard before I hit him with the reversal. You should have thought of that Lupin. Then I floated him over to a bench and bound him to it.”

“I caught up to them just as Moody was binding Peter. In the guise of checking on the health of my old friend, I revealed the dark mark on his arm to the entire Alley.”

“That caused a lot of commotion, and was the perfect cause for me to call in backup.”

“The Aurors arrived quickly after hearing the words Dark Mark.”

“Too bad for them they failed to understand what I said.” Moody grunted. “A quick veritas on the man got the story out of him, in front of a crowd.”

“A crowd which included several reporters for the Daily Prophet.” Remus smiled wickedly. “The Ministry will be scrambling by now to assure everyone that they will find out how this happened.”

“Hah.” Moody barked. “More likely they’ll be looking for a way to spin it so they don’t look bad. But either way, it ought to come down to them admitting your innocence Sirius.”

Sirius was vibrating with nerves by this point, but he managed to say. “So, you caught him?”

Remus smirked. “Didn’t I say that?”

“You!” Sirius almost screamed and launched himself at the werewolf. “You had me half convinced the rat got away you miserable flea bitten mongrel.” He yelled as he tackled the man. As they rolled on the floor, half laughing, half hugging, and half snarling at each other, Harry looked over at Hermione. Who was watching the carnage playing out between two grown men, with a mixture of fascination and horror.

“Hermione?” He asked, looking for confirmation from his best friend.

Hermione jerked her head up to look at him, then opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“Oh, right.” Moody said and pointed his wand at her. “There you go.”

“Umm, oh that’s better.” Hermione said.

“You silenced her?” Harry asked, looking at Moody.

The grizzled man quirked what would pass as a smile on any other face, on his it looked like a grimace. “Had to. She wanted to tell you right away. That would have spoiled our fun.”

“Wait, that whole story, that was a prank?”

Moody nodded. “Yep.”

Harry turned a searing glare on Remus. “Bad Mooney, bad. No biscuit for you.” He said, wagging a finger at the man, who only just stopped his wrestling match with Sirius in time to hear the end of Harry’s statement.

“Why am I getting no biscuit?” The man asked in confusion.

Sirius answered with a howl. “Because you’re a mongrel. A badly behaved mutt, who was never properly housebroken.”

Remus placed a hand over his heart. “Ow, Sirius that hurts. It hurts right here.” He said, with an innocent smile.

Slapping at his friend's shoulder, Sirius sat up. Then he smiled. “So, I’m free?” He asked the room.

“Not quite yet.” Moody answered. “The rat is in a Ministry holding cell for the moment. Likely being questioned as we speak. Will probably take a few days for everything to go through, but we should get word of the manhunt being lifted soon enough. I’ll be heading back into the office later to see what I can find out.”

“In the meantime, I’m going to recommend that you two remain out of sight.” Remus offered. “We can’t be sure of how long it will take to get everything cleared up, and the last thing we want is for anything to go wrong before that happens.”

Harry and Sirius shared a look and nodded. “Got it, we’ll stay put.” They said together, then gaped at each other, and fell over laughing.

Moody left shortly after that, and Hermione brought out the carrier that held her new cat, Crookshanks. Who was let out and introduced to everyone. To everyone's surprise, including his own, Crookshanks favorite human turned out to be Sirius, the cat took to his lap and only left when the man stood up for the rest of the evening.

Which made his choice to pull out the board games and insist on staying at the table amusing, as he had a constant companion.


	30. Chapter 30

Saturday 10 August

The day after Harry’s birthday a dozen portrait frames arrived and were placed in the library. An hour later, several of the Potter family portraits appeared within them, marvelling at the new library and greeting the residents cheerfully. This included Doria Potter, Harry’s aunt who had promised to give him lessons in wizarding culture and etiquette. Which meant that was added to his daily routine, though at least Hermione joined him, which made the lessons more tolerable.

Aside from that, the week dipped into monotony as they found a routine. Lessons in the morning, activities in the afternoon, games or movies in the evening, and then off to bed. The best thing that could be said of the time, in Harry’s opinion, was getting to spend time with Hermione and Sirius.

Remus came to visit on Friday, and with encouragement from Sirius began to practice the Celtic method of Animagi training. Though he declared it a waste of time, as werewolves cannot become animagi. Something he had already proven once before apparently. But he was willing to humour Sirius, who hadn’t yet given up on the idea that becoming an animagus could cure the lycanthropic condition.

But today being Saturday, their routine changed. With Daniel and Emma Granger coming in the afternoon to tutor the kids they got to forego their morning lessons. Which meant after breakfast, they were going to explore the world beneath the waves. Something Harry had been looking forward to for a while now. Finally they would begin to map out the sea floor around Refuge.

However, Half way through breakfast, Hedwig arrived with a message. She flew in and circled the table once, a rolled something in her talons, which she dropped in front of Sirius.

“Morning Hedwig.” The man called as she soared past him. “I believe there’s some extra bacon there if you want.” He pointed to the platter.

Barking appreciatively, the large snowy owl landed and grabbed a slice of bacon, which she quickly tore to shreds and devoured.

Shuddering at the display, Sirius opened the rolled paper to reveal that it was the day’s copy of the Daily Prophet. Along with a note.

Seizing the note, Sirius read out loud.

Sirius, Harry,

I expect you will be interested in this. Be sure to look through the entire paper.

Longhorn

“Hmm, odd. He usually includes his title when sending a message.” Sirius commented, laying the note to the side. “Well, let’s see what the paper has to say.”

It said a lot. The front page bore the headline Chief Warlock accuses Black of Kidnapping, is our hero in danger? And right beneath it, a large photo of Ron Weasley, waving for the camera.

Sirius got a confused look as Hermione ripped the paper from his grasp. He watched in bemusement as she raked her eyes down the article, then began to read it aloud.

By Rita Skeeter Daily Prophet correspondent. In a meeting with the press on the morning of Thursday 8 August, Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore revealed that our hero of twelve years, Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, went missing near the beginning of the summer. Just after the disappearance of Sirius Black from his top security cell in Azkaban. Until recently no information was available as to the location of either individual. However, the Chief Warlock showed us a letter written by our beloved hero to his dear friend mister Runil Waslib, pictured above, in which our hero mentions spending time with his godfather. What you may not know my dear readers, is that Harry Potter's godfather is none other than Sirius Black. So here we have undeniable proof, from the boys own hand that he is currently with Black. Further to this announcement Chief Warlock Dumbledore stated that while it is true that Black is the boy’s godfather, due to his circumstances he has no legal right to be in contact with our hero, let alone for our dear Boy Who Lived to actually be living with man. Regardless of Black’s guilt or innocence, he is not the boy’s legal guardian. The Chief Warlock has stated that if the boy is returned to his family within the next week, that he will not seek to press charges against Black, however he must insist on a lack of contact until Black has been declared healthy by a qualified healer. I am sure you would agree with the Chief Warlock dear readers, as do I and my colleagues at the Daily Prophet. I encourage you dear readers to keep a clear eye out for our hero, and to report any sighting immediately to the Aurors, so that the Boy Who Lived can be returned to the arms of his loving family as soon as possible.

With a snarl, Hermione slammed the paper onto the table. “How dare they.” She cried.

At a loss for words, Harry slid over and put an arm around her shoulders drawing her into a half hug. As she turned to lay her head on his shoulder he looked a question at Sirius.

Sirius shrugged and reached for the paper, flipping through it until he found the second article Longhorn had intended for them to see.

“Here’s the second.” Sirius said, and began to read aloud.

War Hero Convicted by Janice Kettleburn. In a surprise upset last night. Peter Pettigrew, recipient of the prestigious Order of Merlin, Second Class, for his efforts to aid the Ministry in their fight against You Know Who, was convicted of being an unregistered Animagus. The Hero, presumed dead, was discovered earlier this week, living as a family pet, apparently having lost some of his memory near the end of the war. Normally the penalty for being discovered as an unregistered animagus is a sentence of five years in Azkaban, however, given Pettigrews condition, and his contributions during the war, Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore successfully argued that he should instead be remanded to Saint Mungo’s long term care ward for healing. If he is declared fit before the five years are up, he will be sent to the prison, otherwise he shall remain in the hospital ward until he is well enough to rejoin society.

“So, they swept him under the rug. And because of it, I don’t get my freedom.” Sirius said, in an oddly calm voice as he folded the paper neatly and laid it on the table.

“Maybe there’s more.” Harry said, reaching out to claim the paper and beginning to flip through it himself.

“By all means, look. But I doubt you’ll find anything else.”

As Harry looked through the pages of the paper, Sirius scowled down at the table, and Hermione cried softly on Harry’s shoulder.

Finally at the very back of the paper, tucked between an advertisement for cleaning powder, and a notice about an outbreak of scrufflepods, was a small mention that Sirius had been found to be innocent of all charges and was no longer the subject of a manhunt.

“Hmph, buried it though, so no one knows. I still can’t walk around in public without being shouted at, or having the Aurors called on me. Especially with that front page headline declaring me to be a kidnapper.” Sirius commented dryly when Harry pointed out the notice.

Hermione simply gripped her friend tighter.

“Maybe we should find something fun to do.” Harry asked. “Get our minds off it for now. Come up with a plan to fight it a little later. Maybe when Dan and Emma get here, they might be able to help.”

Beside him, Hermione grew stiff. She said something but he was unable to make out what.

He shook her gently and asked. “Hermione, what did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”

Lifting her head, Hermione sniffed and repeated. “They’ll want me to come home. Even though they know it’s safe for me here, they won’t want me to get mixed up in legal trouble.” Then she dropped her head back to Harry’s shoulder and once more soft hiccups could be heard from her every so often as Harry’s shirt slowly became very wet.

Sirius stood. “I’ll be in the workshop. I do my best thinking while brewing. You two do whatever you like.” Before Harry could think of a response he was gone.

So instead he turned his attention to the crying girl in his arms. “Hermione.” He tried but the girl just clung tighter. “Hermione, it’s going to get really uncomfortable sitting in these hard wooden chairs. Are you sure you don’t want to move somewhere else?” Hermione usually responded well to logical arguments he thought as he said this.

Hermione mumbled something, but he had to get her to repeat it twice before he understood. “Couch, movie.” Was all he was able to get from her. Which seemed odd, usually she would insist on visiting the library first thing each morning. But as she seemed so distraught over the news he decided to humour her and tried to get up. But with Hermione still clinging to him he wasn’t able to get far.

“Hermione, if we’re going to the couch, you’ll need to get up.” He tried but she shook her head.

“Carry me.” She whispered.

Harry had to pick his jaw up off the floor. Hermione Granger never acted like this. She must be taking this even harder than he had thought. Maybe she really believed that her parents would insist that she leave. Which probably meant that they would. And as they were coming today, in just a few hours, that meant that he only had a short time left to spend with his friend. Slowly, carefully, he bent down and lifted the crying girl until he was holding her bridal style, her head cradled on his shoulder, and made his way to the sitting room. Where he sat her on the sofa and gently pried her loose from him, promising that he would be back in just a moment as soon as he got the movie playing.

He went to the shelf of films and selected one he hadn’t seen yet, but that Hermione said was good. The Princess Bride. Then he sat down next to Hermione, who promptly glomped onto him, dragging them both down until they were lying lengthwise on the cushions.

Rather than watch the film, Hermione buried her head in Harry’s chest and continued crying. Harry, unsure what to do, split his attention between the action on screen and attempting to comfort his best friend, who seemed determined to shed the entire ocean onto his shirt. He alternated between stroking her hair and holding her as tight as the slightly awkward position would allow, until somewhere in the middle of the film she fell asleep. After which he simply lay there, arms wrapped around her, and as the film ended, began to doze himself.

Sirius Black was angry. More angry than he had been since the day he had almost given himself to the mire around Black Fortress. If it hadn’t been for Harry being there he would have been lost. But today, he was more in control as well. He wasn’t going to go haring off to get revenge. No, this called for a plan. A Marauder level plan.

He needed to show Albus that he would not roll over. That he would not simply allow the man to do whatever he wanted. Not anymore.

And so, he brewed, and while he brewed he thought. Ideas formed and reformed and bounced, and roiled in the back of his mind as he concentrated on each individual step in the brewing process. Every great prank had been planned in this way. Like a good brew, a prank took several steps. It had to be precise, and delivered in just the right way. The ingredients had to be prepared, cut, crushed, or powdered just right. They had to be added in the correct order, you couldn’t just throw them all in at once, that would end with a badly performed prank. Which no one would laugh at. And the timing, the timing had to be right or the prank would fall flat.

Smiling his favorite malicious smile at a well planned prank, he set the completed brew aside to cool, cleaned his tools and turned towards the house. He had preparations to make.

Seeing the supine forms of his godson and their guest lying on the sofa wrapped in each others arms he turned away. Satisfied that they would keep each other occupied he headed for the far end of the beach, where he could apparate without disturbing, or alerting them.

A quick swish of his wand altered his clothing to be presentable, and a soft pop sent him to his first destination.

Head held high, Sirius Black, Lord and Head of House Black strode into the Gringotts Lobby. Approaching the desk he peered down at the teller there and spoke in a clear and carrying voice. “Teller Hardknuckle. I have an appointment with my Vault Manager, Longhorn. Will you please inform him that I am here.”

Nodding, the young goblin left his desk and went through the side door which led to the offices. A minute later he returned and motioned for Sirius to go through. “He is waiting for you Lord Black.” Hardknuckle said, in a voice as hard and clear as a thunderclap.

In the office of the Black Family Vault Manager, Sirius was pleased to see a stack of papers on the desk, and an eager looking Longhorn, grinning maliciously.

“We have much to discuss Lord Black.” Longhorn stated.

Smirking, Sirius took the seat proffered by the goblin. “Yes, thank you for informing me of the change in circumstances.”

“You are aware then of how things are playing out?”

“Dumbledore is attempting to discredit me.”

“Indeed, I expect you have a counter?”

“Yes. First though, I need to take care of some family business. I’ve been over the family logs, and reviewed my authority as the Head of House, but I’ll need to see the Family contracts to be sure of exactly what my first step will be. Are those they?” He indicated the pile of papers.

“They are, do you know which you will need first?”

“Births and deaths. I need to know who is left of the Family before I can begin.”

Sorting through the pile Longhorn pulled out several sheets of parchment. “Here you are then.” He said passing them over.

After skimming through each of them, Sirius grimaced. “Almost no one left. Myself, Andromeda, Narcissa, and Bellatrix. Plus the Malfoy brat, and Andromeda’s girl, Nymphadora. Damn, so little to work with, and most of them are not worth the trouble. Oh well, it’s what we have, and if we’re to rebuild, we have to start somewhere.”

“I have heard it said, that it is best to begin as you mean to proceed.” Longhorn said smartly.

“Indeed, so to begin with. I am disowning everyone who served that psychotic madman that called himself Voldemort. Namely, Bellatrix and Narcissa. Bellatrix cannot contest the disownment, even if she somehow could get here despite being in prison, I saw her on the field enough times to know which side she served. Narcissa however, I never saw on the field. Though I did see her husband aplenty. She may contest the disownment. If she wishes to do so, she must present herself to you, within three days. In order to contest, she must present her bare forearms. If she does not bear the dark mark then she may do one of two things. She may present her husband, also free of the mark, after which both shall be required to take an unbreakable vow that they will renounce the pureblood ideology. If they do so they will be welcomed back into the family. Her second option, if she is either unwilling or unable to present her husband, will be to renounce her marriage and return alone, in which case the marriage contract will be considered voided by her husband. Speaking of which, Bellatrix’s marriage contract is broken, she was to bear at least three children, I know because that is one of the clauses contained in every Black marriage contract. As an inmate of the prison she will never bear children. Per her disownment, I am reclaiming her dowry vault and all of its contents. By the broken marriage contract, I am claiming half of the content of the Lestrange vault and the house that was given to them from the Black Family holdings. If Narcissa refuses to contest her disownment the same will apply. If she does contest, but is unable to do so, either due to having the mark, or being unwilling to take the vow, again, the same will apply. If she does return to the family, she will keep her dowry vault. If the marriage is broken due to her return, Lucious Malfoy will be found in contempt of the contract and the penalties applied. Finally, Andromeda Tonks will be welcomed back into the Family if she so wishes, as will her husband and their daughter. If she accepts, a dowry vault will be granted to her, with ten thousand galleons transferred into said vault from the main Family Vault.”

When Sirius paused, Longhorn raised an eyebrow. “That is rather a lot, for a first step.”

“I need to set the stage.” Was Sirius’ succinct reply. “Next, can you contact the goblin liaison office in the Ministry and find out when the next general meeting of the Wizengamot will be?”

“Yes, it will take a few minutes.”

“Very well, please do so.”

Longhorn nodded and tapped a few things on his desk, out of Sirius’ line of sight.

“How soon can the contents of Bellatrix’s vault be returned to the Family vault?” Sirius asked while they waited.

“It has already begun, along with the transfer from the Lestrange Vault.” Longhorn grinned. “We don’t like to waste time. The Malfoy Vaults are also being locked down as we speak, and notices being written and sent. Is there anything else you will require with regards to those matters?”

“Actually, yes. I would like for a full review of every artifact in all of the Black family holdings. Pay for it out of Bellatrix’s former vault. Any cursed item is to be cleansed and archived for consideration. I will be cleaning up the Black Family name, and I will no longer have us associated with such things.”

Longhorn smiled a hunter's toothy smile. “As you wish Lord Black. I will..” He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Scowling, he made a motion at the door and a heartbeat later called. “Enter.”

A young goblin scurried into the room and rushed over to whisper something in Longhorn’s ear, before leaving just as quickly as he came.

Continuing the scowl, Longhorn turned to Sirius. “It is good that you have already ordered the cleansing of cursed objects found in your holdings.” At Sirius raised eyebrow he frowned. “In the former vault of your cousin, we have discovered another of those abominable soul jars.”

Sirius’ face grew hard. “Like the one in Harry’s scar?”

“Exactly like that one. Though of course, a different shard of soul, just from the same being.”

“Destroy it, with my blessing.” Sirius said coldly.

“You do not wish the artifact returned?” Longhorn asked with a frown.

“Not at all. I would prefer never to lay eyes on such a thing.”

“Very well, it shall be so.” Longhorn made a note, which he set inside a small drawer of his desk. “It is done, or rather it will be in the next hour or so. But you needn’t worry about it any further.” A second knock came from the door, and Longhorn looked up, making the same motion again before calling. “Enter.”

A different young goblin came into the office, holding a sheet of parchment. “The information requested.” The goblin said, offering Longhorn the parchment before bowing and leaving.

Longhorn looked over the parchment and grinned up at Sirius. “The next general meeting of the Wizengamot will be this coming Wednesday.”

A slow grin grew on Siirus’ lips, matching that of the goblin sat across from him.

On a dock in Portstewart a slightly haggard and very tired looking Sirius Black met the Granger parents with a sheepish grin. “My apologies to you both for keeping you waiting.” He said as he approached. “It’s been a rough day.”

Daniel and Emma exchanged a look, then smiled a bit coolly at the man. Emma spoke for them. “I trust you have an explanation? We’ve been waiting for nearly an hour.”

Motioning for them to follow, Sirius set off towards a secluded spot where he could apparate them to the island. “I do, but this isn’t really the place for it. Let’s get out of the public eye and I’ll tell you everything.”

Landing back on Refuge, Sirius smiled. “It’s good to be back.” Turning to his guests he asked. “Have you heard anything from the magical world today?”

Frowning, Daniel answered. “No we haven’t. Why? What happened?”

Sirius quickly relayed what they learned from the Prophet that morning. “I’ve been running around all morning. Getting our response ready. Which has included a lot of research, a bit of shopping, and a very large headache.”

“I see.” Emma said, a bit warmer now she had an explanation. “And the kids? How did they take it? And have they been with you?”

Sirius frowned. “Hermione took it really hard. Seemed to think you’d be demanding she return home and never see Harry again. Harry seemed to take it in stride, but that might just have been an attempt to stay strong for Hermione. When I left, they were asleep on the sofa. Kind of cute the way they were snuggled, fell asleep watching a movie.”

Daniel glowered. “You left them alone?”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Not entirely, Dobby was here.”

Emma smirked. “And while I doubt that Dobby could stop them if Harry ordered him. He would raise a bit of a fuss, and remind them of how we would react. And at the very least, would be able to tell us of anything that happened.” That at least seemed to mollify Daniel. “So what are you planning Sirius?”

“And is there anything we can do to help?” Daniel added.

A grin slid across Sirius’ face. “Actually, there is. I hope. Can you by chance, get me in touch with the Prime Minister?”

The Grangers froze, and slowly turned to face the man. “The Prime Minister?” Daniel intoned in an almost empty voice.

“What makes you think we have an in with him?” Emma asked.

Smirking, Sirius began to explain. “There are two people in the muggle Government who know of the magical world. The Queen and the Prime Minister. While I’m not fool enough to think that I could wrangle an audience with her Majesty, I might be able to swing a meeting with the Prime Minister.” Reaching the deck, Sirius fell into one of the chairs and looked up at the Grangers. “The kids were just inside on the sofa when I left if you want to check. It’s been a little while so they may have moved. Then I’ll explain why I want to talk with the man.”

Nodding to her husband, Emma walked over to the door and peered inside. A breath later and she returned. “They're still there. And he’s right, they are quite cute together.” Daniel scowled at that, but Emma kept on talking. “Let’s have a seat and hear what Sirius has to say dear.”

Daniel continued to scowl at his wife for a heartbeat, then two. Then he pulled two seats over and helped her into the first before seating himself and turning his attention to the man they were coming to consider a friend.

Sirius nodded and launched into what they hoped would be an interesting tale. “So, it starts with something Lilly told us, shortly after Harry’s birth. She’d been searching through the Potter libraries, looking for something she could use to help with the war effort, but wasn’t having much luck. I didn’t really give it much thought at the time, just some bit of trivia about the statue of secrecy. But when I was looking through my options today it occurred to me that we can use that little bit of trivia to our advantage.”

He paused to swallow and made an unhappy face. Then called for Dobby to bring them some soft drinks. The little elf was pleased to oblige, and soon they were sipping on cold beverages as Sirius continued.

“When the statute was drawn up, in the original document, there was a clause. Which has been mostly ignored and forgotten by wizards. This clause states that despite the separation and secrecy, we are still subjects of the crown. Which is why, the crown and their recognised representative, the Prime Minister, are allowed to know of the existence of the magical world. But, more importantly for us, because we are still subjects of the crown, the crown has authority over the Ministry of Magic. That authority is technically limited, but in effect it really isn’t. Simply put, the crown, or their appointed representative has the right to inspect the Ministry of Magic annually if they so choose. If at any time, the crown, or their appointed representative deams the Ministry to be unsatisfactory in the execution of their duty, they have the authority to disband, either in whole or in part, the Ministry. And replace it with either an entirely new Ministry, or simply with new people, who they feel will perform their duty in a satisfactory manner.”

The Grangers stared at him, mouths hanging open. “And you want the Prime Minister to do that?” Emma asked.

“Well, mostly I want to inform him that he has the option, and ask for his assistance in clearing up the matter of Harry’s guardianship. Unfortunately, I’m half convinced that it will come down to a need to wipe the slate clean so to speak, in order to get anything done. I’ve taken a few steps today that will help prevent certain people from getting in the way, but I doubt it will be enough by itself. So, I’m hoping to get some back up.”

“Back up with some big guns.” Daniel added with a slight nod. “Well, getting a meeting with the Prime Minister isn’t easy, or quick. When would you need to have it?”

“I’ll be delivering my response to Dumbledore Wednesday afternoon, at the next general meeting of the Wizengamot.”

Emma blinked. “And you want to meet with the Prime Minister before that?”

Sirius nodded sheepishly. “I know it’s a long shot.”

“It’s nearly bloody impossible is what it is.” Daniel half shouted, remembering to keep his voice down at the last moment. “Three days, three days to get an appointment with the single busiest man in England. Might as well try for an audience with the Queen.”

“Is there any way it can be done?” Sirius asked, hoping he wouldn’t be disappointed with the answer.

Emma said, very slowly. “Well, there’s the emergency hotline. Supposedly if you say the right thing, you can get an emergency meeting. But I don’t know what the right thing to say is. Or if the claim is actually true.”

“Worth a try I guess. What’s the number?” Sirius asked.

The Grangers exchanged a look, and Daniel nodded. Emma pulled a notepad from her armbag and flipped through it. Then she read out a series of numbers. Sirius had to stop her and have Dobby bring him a sheet of parchment so he could write down the number.

Armed with this new information he stood. “Alright, I’ll head into town and see if this works. Feel free to wake the kids and see how they’re doing. I’ll see you when I get back.” And with a twist he popped away.

Stepping inside, Dan and Emma found a pair of groggy teens sitting up on the sofa.

“What’s going on? Who’s apparating?” Harry asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Hermione’s eyes flew wide when she saw her parents. “Mum, dad.” She exclaimed, leaping to her feet.

Daniel held up a hand. “Calm down Hermione. We’ve been here for a little while. And your mother was right. You two were pretty cute on the sofa.”

Hermione felt her cheeks flush. Why did he have to say things like that?

Emma smirked at her husband. “So, why don’t you two tell us what happened this morning?’ She asked the teens.

Immediately Hermione’s face fell. In a quiet, almost lifeless voice she explained. “We learned that the headmaster is trying to send Sirius back to prison for spending time with Harry, and that he is now accusing him of kidnapping. He wants to send Harry back to the Dursleys. They also let Pettigrew go on a lesser charge, and sent him to hospital, instead of prison. He’ll probably be out by nightfall. And they put the notice of Sirius’ innocence in a tiny section at the back of the paper, we almost missed it. Would have, if Harry hadn’t kept looking after Sirius and I stopped.”

Harry reached over and put an arm around her shoulders. Then he sent an almost defiant look at the adult Grangers. “Hermione is convinced you’re going to take her away now that things have become more complicated. She spent the whole morning crying about it.”

Hermione tried to shrug his arm off, but didn’t put much effort into it. Instead she hung her head and sniffled.

Emma’s eyes grew wide, and moistened as she watched her daughter begin to fall apart all over again. “Oh, sweety. We would never take you away from your friends.” She said as she rushed to wrap her arms around her daughter.

A moment later Daniel knelt next to the sofa and joined the small family hug. After a second, he reached out and drew Harry into the hug as well. When they began to separate he turned to the boy. “Harry, I want to thank you for taking care of Hermione today. She clearly took this news hard, and I’m pleased to know she had a friend with her who was willing to take that burden on and help her to get through it.”

Emma and Hermione stared at him, then slowly turned to look at Harry. Who was blushing fiercely.

What could he say to that? Harry wondered. It wasn’t like he had received thanks from anyone very much, and even less from adults. And even more, while Daniel hadn’t exactly been cold to him, he had been a bit standoffish about him and Hermione, but now he was thanking Harry for being close to her. Or something like that.

Noticing the three people looking at him Harry realised he hadn’t said anything, and unsure what he should say, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Umm, well, you’re welcome I guess. I mean, Hermione’s really great, and she’s my best friend, so I’ll always be happy to help her out any time she needs. And it’s not like it was hard or anything, I just let her cry on me for a while. I wasn’t sure what to do really, so I just kind of stroked her hair and held her. And then she fell asleep, and I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to hurt her so I just stayed still, and then I fell asleep too.” He stopped as Emma held up a hand and stifled a laugh.

“It’s okay Harry. No one knows what to do the first time they are faced with a situation like that. You handled it exactly right, and I thank you. Maybe we should talk about something else for a bit though. Sirius is off working on a solution, so we probably have a while to wait before he gets back. Do you maybe want to work on lessons, or are you not feeling up to that just yet?”

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, then developed equally thoughtful looks as they considered the question.

After a bit of thought, Harry spoke up. “I’m okay with whatever Hermione decides. She took this worse than I did, so she should choose what we do.”

“Good man.” Daniel approved heartily. And Emma chuckled.

“Well Hermione, you heard him. It’s your call. What would you like to do this afternoon?”

“Umm.” Hermione looked from Harry to her parents, and back to Harry. “Well, I guess we should do the lessons, that’s what was planned for today after all.” Then she looked at Harry again. “But, maybe we could just do an hour each, and then do something fun. Maybe a movie or a game?” She looked to her parents for approval. And got it immediately in the form of a big smile from her mother, and a nod from her father.

“That sounds like a great idea pumpkin.” Daniel said.

“Yes, a great idea. Shall we relocate to the library then?” Emma added.

Much later a very tired and wrung out Sirius Black stumbled into the house to find four laughing cheerful people watching the end of Willow, and debating what they would watch next.

He managed to briefly explain that he talked his way into a meeting with the Prime Minister, but refused to give any details of how the meeting went, beyond that he was pleased with the outcome. Then he begged off any further discussion until morning and stumbled up to his room, where he fell, still fully dressed into the bed and directly to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Wednesday 14 August

The next three days were spent in a whirl of planning, preparation, rehearsal, and robe choices. Sprinkled here and there with a bit of extra research to fill in minor knowledge gaps where needed. Until at last, it was Wednesday, time for the big reveal in the Wizengamot.

Monday morning had seen Narcisa Malfoy enter Gringotts in order to contest her disownment from the Black Family. When she was asked to bare her arms, she refused and left the bank in a towering rage over the loss of her dowry vault, and the home in which she had grown up, which had been gifted to her upon her marriage.

In contrast, when Andromeda Tonks arrived a few hours later, she burst into tears at the discovery that she and her husband and child would be welcomed back into the family. She now stood with Sirius and Harry, waiting for their opportunity to enter the Wizengamot chambers. She was displeased that she hadn’t had a real chance to reconnect with her favorite cousin, however time had been short, and they had already agreed to a family dinner that evening.

As the session was called to order, the group stood to commence their response to Dumbledore’s claims.

Albus Dumbledore was not having a good year. He had been ousted from Hogwarts, the true seat of his power. And it had taken months to get that position back. He had hoped to arrive in time to save the school from Tom’s basilisk, only to find that Harry Potter had already done the impossible and slain the beast, with Gryffindor’s sword no less. He had tried for decades to find the sword, with nary a clue as to where it hid. He had questioned ghosts, paintings, the hat, and even the school itself in a fit of desperation, but had learned nothing. Not even the vaunted Hogwarts library held even a hint as to where it had been hidden. And the boy pulled the thing from the hat of all places. At least no living person knew of his search, and the ghosts and painting were bound by the magic of Hogwarts not to reveal the headmaster’s secrets.

He had thought, with the coming of summer break, and the exit of the students that he would have a chance to relax, recollect himself, and prepare for the next school term. But no, barely a week into the holidays and Harry Potter had vanished from his home with the Dursleys. So much effort he had put into insuring the boy stayed there, and it was falling apart before his eyes. Somehow the boy had disappeared without a trace. Aside from two instances of underage magic appearing at the Ministry connected to the boy, there had been nothing. And then to top it all off, the escape of Sirius Black, followed by the notice from Arthur Weasley that Potter had written to his son, claiming to be in the care of his godfather.

Oh, Albus knew who the boy's godfather was, he had gone to great lengths to hide the identity of Black, and even his existence from the boy. No doubt that Potter would run to any hope of escape from his relatives. But it could not be allowed. As despicable as it may be, in order for the rest of the wizarding world to survive, Harry Potter had to die. And to do it right, to grant the world protection from Voldemort, he had to die by Voldemort’s hand, in the same way Lilly had done. If it happened just right, with the boy willingly giving himself over in order to protect everyone, he would do what his mother had done. Only he would protect everyone from the monster, not just one child.

But for that to work, for it to happen, the boy had to be abused. He had to have little or no sense of self worth. Sirius would ruin that. He would teach the boy to love himself, to fight, to defend yes, but not to give up, not to simply lay down his life as was needed. And so, Albus had made a decision. He had made sure that Black went away, never thinking that the man would be capable of breaking out. After all, no one ever had, and if others would be horrified at his decision, too bad. They did not understand the necessity of such choices. The greater good had to be served, and sometimes that meant a sacrifice. What was one life, compared to thousands.

He had to regain control of this situation, Voldemort was close to returning, he had been trying for the last few years. And if he was to be stopped permanently he had to be allowed to return to a body. As he was he could not be killed. But even after regaining a body, the horcruxes had to be destroyed, a job he would send Harry to perform. After all, if he spent months tracking and destroying the horcruxes, it would drive home the knowledge that it was important to do so. Then he could reveal the existence of the final horcrux, the one in Harry’s scar. That would provide the impetus for Harry to sacrifice himself, leading to their ultimate victory.

While if word of what he had done got around, Dumbledore would become a horror story, told to frighten children into behaving. He knew that in his next great adventure he would be hailed as a hero, who chose the hard road, rather than the easy one. And so long as no one ever found out, he would go down in history here, as one of the greatest men to ever live, second only to Merlin himself.

This meeting of the Wizengamot should seal a few things away. Sirius had not yet returned the boy to his relatives. And while the deadline of a week had not yet passed, Albus was certain he could convince the gathered wizards of the need to lay charges against Black. If all went well, Black would see that he had been exonerated despite Skeeter’s blathering, and reveal himself. With the Minister’s choice to bury the article, most people would be unaware of his acquittal and would thus call the Aurors when they saw him. And if he was wanted for something else, he would be brought before the court and forced to reveal the whereabouts of the boy.

All he had to do was convince the Wizengamot that Black had to be brought in for questioning, no charges need be laid, just yet. That could happen later if he needed Black out of the way. And this time there would be no concern over the lack of a trial, as Black would be guilty.

At last, the remaining few late arrivals wandered into the chamber and began taking their seats. It was time to begin.

As the doors closed, and the guards took up their positions the Chief Warlock called out. “I call this 1,033rd meeting of the Wizengamot to order. Scribe what matters are there to settle?”

The Scribe, one Patrick Yaxley, looked down at a roll of parchment before replying. “There is none Chief Warlock. The Wizengamot is free to discuss new legislation.”

Albus smiled, this ought to be quick. “Excellent, I believe there is a matter..”

He was cut off as the doors were flung open. Slamming against the wall with the force of a stampeding hippogryph. Into the chamber strode Sirius Black, flanked by several others.

For a heartbeat, Albus stood there, mouth agape. Here, the man had come here, to the very chambers of the Wizengamot. Albus had planned for a great many possibilities, yet somehow, this had not been one of them. That the man would dare appear before the entire court had not entered his mind. Sirius had always hated politics, and everything to do with them. He preferred the action and noise of the field.

But, Albus Dumbledore was not Chief Warlock for nothing, he had spent decades honing his ability to mask his lack of knowledge and foresight, and even longer his ability to bluff his way through anything.

“Sirius, my dear boy. Welcome, we were not expecting you.” He called out.

“That would be Lord Black.” Sirius’ voice rang out across the chamber. “I have come to claim my Family seat in this august body.”

Instantly, a dozen family heads rose to argue. However they were quickly silenced by the Scribe. Yaxley rose and addressed himself to the young man who made such an eye-catching entrance. “Lord Black, by what right do you claim Family seat?” He asked the traditional question put to every family head seeking a seat in the chamber.

“As the last remaining male carrying the name of Black, I have claimed my role as head of house. I therefore claim the Family seat in the Wizengamot.” Sirius gave the ritual answer.

Yaxley gave a half bow. “We accept that your claim is valid, and invite you to take the test.” He motioned to the shallow bowl set on a small plinth in the center of the chamber.

Dumbledore held his breath. This was beyond his ability to influence. Anyone who had claimed the role of head of house for one of the old families could make this claim. And the only thing that could prevent them from taking a family seat was the test. The annoying thing was that no one had failed the test in centuries. It was fairly simple, all Sirius had to do was give a single drop of blood to the bowl. The magic of the chamber would then test his claim, if it found him to be truthful in his claim it would accept him and glow white. If it found him to be false, it would glow red. Unfortunately the only way it would find his claim to be false was if he were not the last living male with the name of Black.

Sirius pricked his finger and allowed the blood to fall into the bowl. For three long breaths the chamber fell silent, waiting to see what would happen. When the bowl began to glow a pure white, there was a collective outpouring of breath. Some sighed in relief, while others let out low hisses of displeasure. Lucious Malfoy was seen ranting behind the silencing charm placed upon the chamber by the Scribe.

Yaxley bowed deeply. “Your claim has been accepted, you may take your seat.” He motioned to an empty chair which began to glow a deep purple. “Do you have any matters to bring before the chamber?” He completed the ritual questioning of a new seat holder.

Sirius returned the bow. “I do, three matters to bring to the attention of the chamber.” He intoned seriously.

Yaxley raised an eyebrow, but did not object. “As per custom, and long tradition, a new seat holder may take up to one hour to present their concerns. Please proceed.” And with a final nod he returned to his seat, leaving the floor clear for Sirius to address the Wizengamot.

“My fellow witches and wizards. Heirs of the Great Council.” Sirius intoned, turning to look at the entire chamber. “The first matter I bring before you regards my incarceration within the walls of Azkaban. I have here a memory, recently released from bondage.”

There were several gasps from around the room as they recognised the ritual claim of obliviation. Many leaned forward as Sirius withdrew the memory of Dumbledore requesting he be sent to prison without trial.

Placing the memory within the bowl he had recently bled into, he stepped back as the memory was projected into the air above for all to view. The modern pensieve was based on the design of this bowl, which had been used by Merlin himself to reveal how he had defeated the dark lady Morganna to the original wizards council, known today as the Great Council.

As the memory played out there were many gasps, and a few jeers at Dumbledore, who was sweating at the realisation that this could cost him his position as Chief Warlock. Technically, it could result in him being sent to the prison himself, as it was illegal to send someone to that hell without the approval of the Wizengamot. However he was certain he could call in a few favors, and avoid that fate. It would however take a minor miracle to keep his position after this. Unless he could convince the chamber that the memory was faked. A difficult thing to do, but it was his only hope.

As the memory came to an end, Sirius retrieved the wispy silver grey cloud from the bowl. Dumbledore began to protest, but he was cut off, as Sirius spoke loudly.

“That is only one part of this, there is a second memory to be shown.” And he raised his wand to his temple to bring forth more damning evidence.

As the scene of the fidelius charm being cast, and Peter Pettigrew being made secret keeper by Dumbledore, played out, the man shuddered. This was becoming too much. He might have been able to convince the chamber that one memory had been faked, two was a different matter. While he would be unable to convince everyone under any circumstance, even forgetting those who would oppose him on principal, with two memories, so closely related, it would be almost impossible to convince enough of the chamber for him to hold onto his position.

Quietly, Albus considered his options. He didn’t really need the Chief Warlock position in order to ensure the future of the wizarding world. In fact all he really needed for that was control of the boy. If he stepped down quietly, offering assurances that he had felt he was doing what was best, he could at least remain headmaster, where he would have access to the boy. Yes, that would be best, he would step down quietly.

As the second memory ended and Sirius stepped up to retrieve it, Dumbledore stood.

“In light of this discovery, I offer my sincerest apologies, my dear boy. I truly felt that I was doing what was best for the wizarding world. I accept that I was wrong in this instance, and in light of my failure, as penance, I renounce my place as Chief Warlock, and hope that our community does not judge me too harshly for mistakes made in haste.” With that, he stepped down from the center podium and walked over to his family seat.

Sirius half glared at the old man before turning his attention back to the chamber. “The second matter I bring before you today, concerns my godson, Harry Potter.” Again he withdrew a memory, this time of the night the Potters died. The memory showed the arrival of Hagrid at the cottage in Godric’s Hollow, the brief argument in which Hagrid explained that he had orders from Dumbledore to take Harry to Hogwarts. This was followed by the memory of Harry and Sirius meeting earlier that summer, where Harry tearfully relayed his treatment at the hands of the Dursleys, where Dumbledore had placed him.

Then Sirius pulled from a pocket of his robes a document. “This is my copy of the Potter’s will, which I am told was sealed by the Chief Warlock on November 1st, 1981.” With a flick of his wand the document was copied and sent flying to each seat of the chamber. Some of the gathered people read through the will carefully, while others merely glanced over it. Those who were watching saw Dumbledore pale rapidly and begin to stretch out his hand as though to call the copies back. Only to cover the movement with a cough and a grab at the flying sheet of parchment, before hiding his face behind it.

Sirius held up the original, which he still held, and began to read aloud.

This being the Final Wishes of James Charluss Potter and his Wife Lilly Rose Potter nee Evans. We do hereby certify that we are of sound mind and magic, and do state that these are the final testaments of our persons.

First, should we fall before the war ends, we do lay upon those we have stood against the demand that they leave our children alone. Our fight is not theirs and all children should be free to live in peace.

Second, should we fall at the hands of our enemies we do demand that they provide our children with the opportunities that they themselves would expect for their children.

Third, should we fall due to the actions of our allies, we curse their names and demand that magic itself wreak devastation upon them.

Fourth, we state unequivocally that Sirius Orion Black is our brother in heart, in spirit, and in hope. We therefore leave to him unending access to the Potter library, and the contents of vault 309, which he should recognise.

Fifth, we state without reserve that Remus John Lupin is one of our dearest friends, and we do leave for him in perpetuity, our share of the property known as Refuge. Use it well Mooney. Also we leave for him the contents of vault 308, which he will take or we will find him and haunt him until he does.

There was a short laugh from one of the people who had entered with Sirius, who several people now realised were still hooded.

Sirius continued his reading however before anyone could wonder much at the visitors refusal to reveal themselves.

Sixth, we do claim Peter Pettigrew as our brother in arms. We therefore leave to him the contents of vault 310. Take it with our blessing Peter.

Seventh, we recognise the broken faith of a dear friend, and the broken heart of a lonely boy. We beg forgiveness of Severus Snape, and offer to him the contents of vault 706, in the hope that he may one day look upon our memory with, if not joy, at least a lack of malice.

Eighth, all of our remaining possessions we leave to our son, Harry James Potter, in whom we entrust our hopes for a brighter future. We love you son, go out and build for yourself a life you can be proud of.

Ninth, should we fall before our son comes of age, we entrust his care and raising to the first of these families willing to take on the duty, and to swear an oath that they will care for and provide for him as they would their own child. Sirius Black, the Longbottoms, the Weasleys, the Prewitts, the Bones, the Abbotts, the Tonks, the Lovegoods, the Ollivanders, the Mckinnons, the Meadows, the Burbidges, the Kettleburns. As a final note, our son is only to be sent to a non-magical family if no magical family is willing to take on the duty.

This will is witnessed by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

As Sirius read out the last line, he allowed the scroll to roll back up into a cylinder and returned it to his pocket. Then he turned and looked at each member of the Wizengamot in turn. “I contest that Albus Dumbledore kidnapped my godson, then had me falsely imprisoned, and the Potter Will sealed, so that he could cover his crime, while placing Harry James Potter with muggles he knew to be abusive.” He declared loudly.

Those who thought to look to the Dumbledore seat witnessed the elderly man paling rapidly as he pulled from one of his many pockets, a roll of parchment, upon which he began to scribble at a furious pace.

Returning their attention to the man in the center of the room, they were just in time to see him pull from a pocket, a copy of the Saturday edition of the Daily Prophet.

Holding up the newspaper so that the headline was clearly visible, Sirius fairly shouted. “He accuses me of kidnapping my own godson, of whom I have had legal custody since his parents death, as I swore the oath they demanded in their Will that very day. Never, under any circumstances, shall I ever harm my godson.” He threw the paper to the floor in disgust.

For a few moments the scratching of Dumbledore’s quill was all that could be heard within the chamber, as Sirius contained his anger and drew control from his core, before speaking again.

“Finally, the third matter I bring before the chamber. Is a report from my godson, on his time at Hogwarts.” He motioned to the group of people who had followed him into the chamber. One of the smallest two stepped forward, removing the hood from his cloak as he stood next to Sirius. There was another collective gasp as they realised that Harry Potter was standing next to Sirius Black, in the center of the Wizengamot chamber.

Raising his wand to Harry’s temple, Sirius nodded. He withdrew the wand, and with it came a stream of silvery grey memory longer than those which Sirius had drawn from his own head.

As the memory began to appear in the air, the two stepped back, and those who chose to watch them were surprised to see the younger turn and hide his face against the olders robes.

As the scene began to play, there were murmurs of confusion around the chamber. A few recognised the former Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Choironous Quirrell, though the addition of the large purple turban was new. Until the turban was removed, revealing the face claiming to be Lord Voldemort.

Minster Fudge began to rise in protest, as did Dumbledore. However both were silenced by the Scribe before they could do more than squeak. The scribe, being the son of a prominent death eater, was curious to see where this was going, and if there might be a way for him to assist his father’s former Master.

As the scene played out there were gasps and cries of confusion, none of which were heard due to the silencing charm, as the dark lord revealed his plan, and then was subsequently defeated by an eleven year old Harry Potter.

As the memory faded, the Wizengamot seemed ready to begin speaking, but a second memory began to play. This time of a scene in Flourish and Blotts. A fight between the elder Weasley and Malfoy, followed by the elder Malfoy depositing books into the cauldron of Ginevra Weasley. During which, Sirius paused the memory to point out one specific book in Malfoy’s hand.

This was followed by the confrontation of the sixteen year old Tom Riddle revealing his identity as the heir of Slytherin, and the future Lord Voldemort. There were more gasps and cries at the revelation that the dark lord, so worshipped by many of the purebloods, was in fact a halfblood. Then more still when Harry defeated the basilisk and destroyed the diary which had been the source of the teenage dark lord.

This time when the memory ended, Sirius retrieved and returned it to Harry, before drawing out a stream of memory of his own.

Without a word he deposited this stream into the bowl and allowed it to play.

The first was of the meeting with Longhorn where they learned of the soul fragment in Harry’s scar, and its removal. This was followed by the revelation after the seizure of Bellatrix’s vault of the second to be discovered. Then another was found in the Black Townhouse. A fourth in one of the Potter holdings, the former Gaunt Cottage, claimed by right of conquest when Harry defeated Voldemort the first time.

As the final memory ended, Sirius stepped forward again. Turning once more to look each member in the eye, as best he could.

“Horcruxes.” He shouted at the gathered wizards, and every one of them flinched back. “Not one, not even two, but five.” He bellowed. “Tom Riddle, more commonly known as Voldemort. Broke the oldest law of wizard kind. When Herpo the Foul created these abominations, the entire Roman Legion marched against him. When Arturius the Unworthy was discovered to have made one, even those of his followers who had sworn the unbreakable vow, chose death over continuing in his service. My brother, when he learned of what Riddle had done, gave his own life to destroy the foul creation. While my cousin, Bellatrix, helped to hide his crimes.” He pointed to one of the high seats, where the Malfoys sat. “Lucious Malfoy, not only aided in hiding the crime, he sought to use it to his own benefit, while laying the blame at the feet of another.”

Taking a deep breath, Sirius visibly collected himself before turning eyes filled with a raging heat upon the chamber. “And so, I ask you, my fellow witches and wizards, heirs of the Great Council. What shall we do?”

With a stricken face, Yaxley lowered the silencing charm to allow the Wizengamot to speak, then lowered himself back to his seat, hanging his head in shame.

Before anyone could speak, nine stunning spells hit Lucious Malfoy, and an order was given for his arrest.

In the commotion that followed this, voices were heard all over the chamber demanding that the trials of those accused of supporting the dark lord be revisited. That all those spouting the pureblood ideology be brought up on new charges, and even that the former records be tossed out and new trials performed.

In all of that, only a few noticed when Thaddeus Knott stood and slowly began to remove his robes. When the robe fell to the floor however, the room had gone deathly quiet as Knott raised a dagger to his own arm and began to carve off an indistinct grey tattoo.

They watched in horrified fascination as the man swept the blade under his skin and pried the offending mark free. Much later, from his hospital bed in Saint Mungo’s, he would explain about the dark mark, and how each of the inner circle were marked with it, and his shame now at having accepted being branded like cattle by a halfblood who would break one of their most sacred laws.

After that, the room fell apart into a dozen squabbles and shouting matches as the man was carried away by his family. Eventually, the gathered crowd quieted enough for decisions to be made. It was decided that anyone formerly accused would be given the benefit of the doubt, unless new evidence was brought against them. Sirius was quietly awarded custody of his godson. Quietly not because anyone wanted it to be so, but rather because it was not the most important thing to be worrying about, and because it was technically already true anyway.

In all the commotion, no one noticed when Albus Dumledore slipped out of the chamber. And despite the beginning of Sirius’ appearance, the question of what to do about the man was never answered, as the Wizengamot found that it had more than enough to worry about with the possible continued existence of Lord Voldemort, and what they would do about it.

In the office of the headmaster, Albus paced, debating what to do. With the removal of the horcrux from the boy he had no leverage to point the boy at self sacrifice. Which meant he could no longer follow that plan. With the revelation of the horcruxes to the Wizengamot, anyone still loyal to Voldemort would be looking for them. At least Sirius had the good sense to have them destroyed. And there were only six that Albus knew of, which didn’t mean there weren’t others. But what could he do? Sooner or later, someone would put it together that Albus had been grooming the boy. And plenty of people knew his abilities well enough to guess that he had known about the fragment in Harry Potter. And that would be enough. The word horcrux was enough to bring the hounds baying for blood, and all they would need was a hint that he had known, known and done nothing, even hidden it from others, and they would come for him. No if he was to save himself for the next great adventure he would need to act decisively.

With a heavy heart he left his office and went to the place where he knew the last horcrux to be hidden. He had planned to reveal this room to young Harry in a few years, allow him to get to know it, perhaps even find the room where the thing was. Then he would have what he needed when he began the hunt. But now, that was no longer a workable plan. A few paces revealed the door to the room of hidden things, and a short time later he held the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. For a moment he was tempted to place it on his head. The lure of knowledge was hard to resist, but he reminded himself that this was not knowledge being offered but the whisper of the horcrux. The bait for the trap, which would allow the dark lord to control him. Instead he dropped the headpiece into a small sack and returned to his office, where he retrieved the sword of Gryffindor from the case he had installed and with a quick slice, cut the diadem in two. There was a shrill scream as the soul fragment departed and Albus slumped into his chair.

Weeping, he pulled the parchment he had been filling with words as rapidly as possible at the Wizengamot from his pocket and lay it on his desk the placed the broken crown atop it. Then he rose and with a wave of his wand, packed his meager possessions, and called for Fawkes to take him away.

Minerva Mcgonagall was striding through the halls of Hogwarts, on her way to check on her classroom, when she felt control over the wards settle upon her. With a startled squeak she looked around, and then realising what it must mean she ran for the headmasters office, hoping she wouldn’t find her friend of many years dead, but rather packing and preparing for his retirement.

The office was empty when she arrived, and on the desk was a battered old tiara, split in two, with a note beneath it. Curious, she withdrew the letter and began to read.

To whomever finds this,

I have seen today my failures come to light and I am deeply saddened by my shortcomings. I have known for sometime now that the dark lord, Voldemort would one day return, though at first, I did not know how. In my researches I came across several ways he could have achieved this, and it was not until recently that I discovered the method by which he had reached his goal.

I am saddened beyond words to say that I felt ill equipped and far too old to handle the situation myself, and instead chose to lay the needs of our entire community on the shoulders of a young boy. I believed the prophecy, which stated that only Harry Potter would be able to defeat the dark lord. I have seen today that I was wrong. It was not the boy, but rather the courage, and love he inspired in others which led to the defeat of Tom Riddle.

This diadem, which once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, was the last of those horcruxes I was able to find. I know of no others, after the revelation of those destroyed by Sirius Black. When last I checked, the spirit which had invaded the body of Professor Quirrell, returned to the forests of Albania, and may yet be found in that area. I do not believe that the destruction of his horcruxes will cause the spirit to depart, however as has been proven, I have been wrong about other things, so I may be wrong about this as well. Still, I urge you to check and be certain.

I do not deserve forgiveness, yet I ask it regardless. I have worked long and hard for the good of our world, and have sacrificed much to see it grow. If nothing else, I ask that I be remembered for the good that I have done, rather than the mistakes that I have made.

I remain, and shall ever be, in service to the greater good,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

As she read this, Minerva began to weep softly, and barely noticed when the letter fell from her fingers as she reached the end, and lowered her head into her hands as she wept.

Three days later, the body of Albus Dumbledore was discovered in a cell in Nurmengard, wrapped in the arms of the cells only other occupant, who was equally gone from this world, Gellert Grindelwald.


	32. Chapter 32

Friday 16 August

The meeting office of the Prime Minister was richly furnished, but sparsely decorated. Which made sense, while well funded, the office could not afford to be distracting to its guests. After all, meetings of great importance would take place here, and if the dignitaries present were too busy admiring the room, they would be unable to discuss what they were there for.

“Thank you for coming, Lord Black.” The Minister gave his head the tiniest of shakes. “That will take some getting used to.” 

“If you prefer, you may call me Sirius.”

The Minister nodded. “If we were meeting socially, I would, thank you. However, here in the Office, it is expected that we remain formal. I wanted to thank you for the information you provided, and the opportunity to see your governing body in action.” The Minister laid a hand on thae roll of thick, creamy vellum in front of him. “Now that we have a better idea of the rules which were set in place to ensure the separation of our two worlds, despite their proximity, Her Majesty and I are going over everything, as quickly as we can. We hope that we will have a formal decision as to a way forward, come spring. It is likely that we will revisit this document, and have it updated, but we will see.”

“I’m glad I could be of service Prime Minister.” Sirius replied with a half bow. “If there’s anything else I can do, let me know.”

“Ah, yes.” The Minister smiled cheerfully. “Well, now that you mention it, there is one thing. I am in need of an advisor on the Magical World, and its politics. The position will be rather comfy. And I already have a working relationship with yourself, plus you’ve already been vetted by my security. If you’re available?”

Sirius blinked, then grinned. “Well, when you put it that way. I can’t think of anything that would make my family roll around in their graves more. When do I start? And what exactly will I be doing?”

Sunday September 1st

The day began like any other. Harry woke to the sound of Dobby puttering in the kitchen, making breakfast. As he rose and stretched, he heard Sirius knocking something over in his room as he too rose to greet the dawn. Down the hall a door opened, allowing a fluffy ginger furred cat to ghost out and down the stairs where he would begin his daily hunt for mice. He had not yet found any on the island, but it hadn’t stopped him from trying.

Unlike most mornings though, there were no lessons planned, no homework to complete. Instead today he was headed back to Hogwarts. It had still taken a week after the discovery of the death of Dumbledore, before he had decided to return to the school. And it had still felt like ages before time to go. But time had passed quickly, and almost before he had even realised, it was time.

Unlike last year at the Weasley’s he did not feel rushed though. Dobby greeted them with a leisurely breakfast, and Sirius challenged him to a game of exploding snap before time to go.

At ten he and Hermione gathered their trunks, said goodbye to Dobby, and held tight to Sirius arms as he apparated them to Platform 9 ¾. The adult Grangers had been round to say their goodbyes the day before, and they would see the Weasleys again today.

Harry was a bit nervous about seeing his red headed friend though. They had exchanged letters, and Ron had sent a well worded apology for his part in Dumbledore accusing Sirius of kidnapping, but the Weasley’s had refused the offer of a visit to Refuge, and Harry wasn’t sure what that meant for their friendship. Though Hermione had tried to convince him not to worry. She was sure it was just the family’s refusal to accept anything they saw as charity.

Seeing as how they had arrived early, Hermione went aboard to secure them a compartment, and to give Harry and Sirius a little privacy to say their own goodbyes.

“You’re sure you got everything pup?” Sirius asked while attempting to straighten Harry’s robes.

“Yes Padfoot, I have everything.” Harry replied in a slightly exasperated voice. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay without me?” He asked in return, trying to sound nonchalant, but the slight frown in his voice gave away his worry for his godfather.

Sirius smiled warmly. “I’ll be fine Harry, and if I need to talk, you have your mirror. Of course the same is true for you, I have my mirror if you ever need to talk about anything.”

Harry shared in the warm smile. “Yeah.” He agreed. “Yeah, I do.”

Fortunately, they were interrupted by the return of Hermione before they could devolve into mushiness, and for the next hour they greeted classmates, and older housemates, and even a few younger.

Harry and Hermione helped a few first years onto the train, while Sirius chatted with a few of his fellow Wizengamot members.

Finally, at 10:54, the Weasley’s arrived, bustling and harried. Molly throwing half a fit at some prank of the twins. Right up until she caught sight of Harry waiting for them.

“Oh, Harry dear.” She called rushing over to wrap him in a motherly hug. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to visit dear, but Fred and George were grounded after they tried to lock Percy in one of the tombs in Egypt. Percy was doing a work study at the Ministry, and Ginny caught the flu, or something while we were away. We just couldn’t spare the time, and we weren’t comfortable with sending Ron off on his own with someone we’ve never met.”

While pleased at the explanation, especially considering he hadn’t even had to ask for it. Harry was nonetheless a little insulted on his godfather’s behalf, as they had clearly expected that they would be trusted despite his not having met them. But he decided in the spirit of fairness, that as he had already spent time at the Burrow, they could be forgiven for expecting Sirius to think of the place as safe, whereas they had not been to Refuge. And thus could not be expected to have formed an opinion. So he opted to introduce them instead of arguing.

“Well then, allow me to introduce my godfather, Sirius Black.” He said, turning to include the man. “Sirius, may I introduce Molly Weasley, mother of my friend Ron.”

The two exchanged greetings as Ron came up and offered a hand to Harry.

For a moment, Harry blinked at the hand, wondering what Ron wanted. Then as the hand began to fall he realised this was Ron’s way of offering a more direct apology than just a letter. While he was still a little angry, he realised that it wasn’t Ron’s fault that he hadn’t been allowed to visit, and that while he had handed information over to Dumbledore, he had been told his whole life that Dumbledore was a great man and all that. He could forgive Ron a bit of hero worship, after all it wasn’t like he hadn’t made the same mistake.

So as Ron lowered his hand, looking a bit hurt, Harry stepped forward and engulfed the larger boy in a bear hug. “I’ve missed you Ron.” He said, as Ron let out a surprised whumpf of air.

He felt Ron try to raise his arms to return the hug, but he had inadvertently pinned said arms beneath his own. He started to let go, to give Ron room to move, but was swept up as two rowdy red heads swept the pair into a group hug.

Twin voices called. “We missed you too Harry. Oh it was horrible going without you all summer. How did you live without us?”

“Ger off.” Ron cried, wriggling in the twins grip. “Harry, help mate.”

“I can’t Ron, I’m just as pinned as you are.”

Then one of the twins yelped and let go, followed quickly by the second.

“Oi, what’s that about then?” They yelled together as Harry looked up to see that their hair was now a vivid bubblegum pink. He looked to where Sirius was standing with Molly who was gaping at her sons. Sure enough he was holding in a chuckle, and Harry let his own bright laughter fly.

The twins looked down at him in consternation. “Oi, what’s so funny Harry? And why is mum looking at us like that?”

Then Ron noticed and guffawed. “Your hair.” He said between wheezing belly laughs.

They looked at each other’s heads, then pulled down locks of hair to see for themselves.

Recognising Sirius as the source of this change, they eyed the man carefully. “You know, we’re going to find a way to get you back for this?” They said slowly, then smiled slyly. “But if you teach us that spell, we’ll take it easy on you.”

Harry snorted, catching their attention. “Sorry guys, but that’s a Marauder special, he won’t even teach it to me.” He said with a shake of his head.

The twins blinked. “Marauder you said?” Fred asked.

“As in, the Marauders?” George added.

“As in, Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs?” They asked together, just as Sirius and Molly walked over.

Sirius gave them a hard look. “You found the map.” He said to them. “Where did Filch keep it?”

The twins jaws fell. “You, you know about the map? Do you know who they are? Can you introduce us?” They began to beg.

Sirius chuckled, but Harry answered. “Uncle Padfoot, please teach me the spell, I want to turn uncle Mooney’s hair pretty colors when we get to Hogwarts. Please, daddy Prongs would have taught me.” He said in a mock pouting voice.

For a second, Fred and George stared at him, mouths hanging open. Then fell to their knees and began prostrating themselves. “Oh great and magnificent god of pranking, please share with us your wisdom.” They chanted together as they bowed.

Sirius threw his head back and howled. 

Molly was less enthusiastic. “That’s enough of that, get up, you’ll ruin your jeans. Come on now.” She attempted to haul them bodily to their feet but their combined weight was too much for her and she fell over on top of them.

Now laughing uproariously themselves, the twins took advantage of this situation to tickle their mother mercilessly. For several minutes Molly Weasley could be heard throughout the platform alternating between laughter and cursing her children, until at last, Sirius took pity on her and using a few well aimed tickling charms, separated her from the twins long enough to help her to her feet.

When she was upright she slapped him on the arm. “You could have done that sooner.”

Chuckling, Sirius grinned. “Sure, I could have. But that wouldn’t have been nearly as funny.”

Molly glared at the man, then for good measure glared at the twins, and Ron, and Harry. Then she turned back to Sirius. “You spent too much time with my brothers.” She said, then went to greet Hermione who had stayed back from the action.

When they had gotten to their feet, the twins rushed over to Sirius. “So, you’re really Padfoot?” They asked in a rush.

“Yep.” Sirius answered.

“And Harry said Mooney will be at Hogwarts?” Fred commented.

Harry smirked. “Our Defence teacher this year.”

Fred’s jaw dropped and he looked like he was about to wet himself with glee.

George latched onto a different thought though. “You also said, daddy Prongs. Do you mean?”

Sirius laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Yes, Prongs was my best friend, James Potter.”

The twins took on a solemn look, then turned to Harry. “We should do something this year. Something to honor his memory.” They said together.

Sirius smirked. “Prank the whole school at Samhain. We did, every year. Only time we failed was the first. Make it something funny, something that everyone will laugh at.” He offered with a sad smile.

“Yeah.” the two said in unison.

Just then the whistle blew, and the twins rushed to get their trunks on board.

Turning to Harry, Sirius opened his arms for a last hug, and without hesitation Harry rushed into the embrace, squeezing his godfather as tight as he could.

“I’ll miss you pup.” Sirius whispered.

“I’ll miss you too dad.” Harry whispered back and ran for the train.

The End


End file.
